Playing with Fire
by Lordheaven
Summary: AU/ST/Carrie: Admiral Brigham enacts a desperate plan to save the life of his granddaughter, enlisting the help of Starfleet captain: Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise under false pretense and no matter the cost. But the price comes too high…
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I made slight alterations but it is essentially the same chapter.

* * *

Disclaimer: Star Trek and all its characters belong to Paramount Pictures. Carrie belongs to author Stephen King but the words are mine. The characters of the Four Orders are entirely my own.

* * *

Requested Story by T-Rex-1000

**AU/ST/Carrie/FO: Admiral Brigham enacts a desperate plan to save the life of his granddaughter, enlisting the help of Starfleet captain: Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise under false pretense and no matter the cost. But the price comes too high…**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Respecting History**

**Stardate 43629.8 (18.08.2366) Portland, Maine, Earth, UFP**

'**Access granted to Historical Documents:**

**Lewiston Sun Journal:**

Massacre in Chamberlain, Maine

May 28th 1979

"The daughter of religious zealot Margaret Brigham White wreaked an imaginable havoc on the city of Chamberlain. Sources indicate that she was a victim of a vicious prank that enacted in her latent hatred towards all living beings. She used this hatred and her gifts from Satan to hermetically seal the Ewen High School's gym and release the sprinklers' system. This led to a fire that ignited the fuel tanks underneath the gym. The massive explosion destroyed most of the school.

The efforts of the Police and Fire departments to control the powerful flames failed as inexplicably fire hydrants in and around the school's premises exploded and the water within had been wasted.

The strangeness did not end there. Gas stations along the main road began exploding one after the other leaving many injured or killed. The dangerous flames that was followed by fire to the local fauna spreading quickly towards the houses in both directions – Mutton and Chamberlain and engaging both of the cities power lines, which subsequently fell creating many sparkled dangers for passing trucks and automobiles.

This string of weird occurrences continued for several long hours before they ended abruptly but people were too afraid to come out.

Forces dispatched from Brunswick and Augusta arrived to help with the evacuation of the town as the raging flames still danced…"

**Chamberlain Blogger Post**

June 1st 1986

_My Name is Susan Snell_

The provocative book of Susan Snell recounts the events of the Black Prom of the 1979's massacre in Chamberlain, Maine.

In it, she claims that Carrietta, 'Carrie', White possessed telekinetic and telepathic abilities that were the reason for the town's destruction…

…in the aftermath, Ms. Snell identified the body of Carrie White before it was taken to the morgue.

It is another set of lies that Ms. Snell conveyed to the authorities. A witness indicated that Carrie White was not delivered to the city morgue as the designated van was empty.

In later years, the driver of the morgue's van renounced his initial report indicating that he indeed put Carrie White's body in the van but en route people dressed in what could be described as working pajamas appeared out of thin air and used strange devices on her. Carrie's lifeless eyes came to life. When they noticed him one of the strangers took out a small device that shot a beam of light. The lights faded for him and he woke up several minutes later but there was no sign of Carrie White or the oddly dressed strangers.

The driver, Mr. Thornton, was immediately after accepted in Arkham Institute for the criminally insane. Judge Marie Pollack indicated that the trauma of that day had made Mr. Thornton jettison the lifeless corpse of Carrie White. To this day however, the body has not been located.

Mr. Thornton, as our reporter discovered, continues until this very day to proclaim his innocence and maintain his story of the oddly dressed strangers…"

**End of Recording' **

Admiral John Brigham put down the pad. He could not believe his luck. Everything he hoped for has already happened. He only had to make it happen again.

The pad he held in his hands was taken from the archives of Starfleet's Temporal Bureau located in the main building in San Francisco. Starfleet had numerous times denied the existence of the bureau. But the admiral's sources finally managed to find it and pointed out one of the hidden cabinets where information of alternate timelines existed.

He looked at the pad again and found the exciting part of the text that said …" but en route people dressed in what could be described as working pajamas appeared out of thin air and used strange devices on her. Carrie's lifeless eyes came to life. When they noticed him one of the strangers took out a small device that shot a beam of light. The lights faded for him and he woke up several minutes later but there was no sign of Carrie White or the oddly dressed strangers…"

'... oddly dressed strangers with working pajamas!' It was one of the ways to describe Starfleet's uniforms.

Admiral Brigham stood up and straightened up his 'working pajamas'. Luck was on his side so far and he intended to use it to its full potential. He looked at the pad and sighed. He then stepped aside and looked at the mirror on the wall and saw his reflection. Though he was happy his face was weary and tired, very tired.

It has been so hard the last few months and desperation has driven him to the extreme. Under normal circumstances, he would not have even dreamed of breaking Starfleet's rules. But even the best of the Federation could not help him with his current problem, and he would do anything for her. He made a promise.

'I made a promise.' He said silently to reinforce the need for this course of action. He remembered the day he made that promise. It was the day his daughter died holding in her hands his granddaughter – Ella.

Ella was a special girl. She had a gift unlike any other human. She was telekinetic and telepathic. No human has had both powers since Carrie White herself. And today, Ella needed her great, great, great, great grandaunt's help.

'And you will get it, my sweet little girl.' Admiral Brigham thrust head and looked away from the mirror. 'It is time for action and I know the best person for the job.'

* * *

**Stardate 43631.32 (19.08.2366) Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards **

Admiral Brigham's shuttle landed on the East platform and headed straight for the surface to the Gardens. He was to meet with his contact and then take his granddaughter so he can enable his genius plan.

He arrived at the prearranged rendezvous point and sat on a bench. His contact arrived shortly after.

"It is a good day for the gods." The contact said. She was using code language.

But the Admiral was not in the mood for it. "Cut with the BS. Did you get me the information I requested?"

"Protocol must be followed at all times, Admiral." She scolded him and looked at him expectantly.

The admiral sighed with frustration and reluctantly replied in kind. "It is always a great day for the Lord of Mars. Happy, Commodore?"

"I am not a commodore, Admiral, but it has a nice ring to it."

"Oh, whatever, you intelligence shmucks call yourselves," The admiral grunted. "Did you get it?"

"Yes, I got it." Lieutenant Ohkuh replied. She handed him a pad. "That settles our debt to you, Admiral Brigham."

The admiral smiled. "Not even by a long shot. Inform your committee that we are not done yet." He stood up and walked away. Yes, he knew things about her employers they would not want Starfleet to know anything about. They could not kill him either as he had taken measures they will not enjoy.

* * *

He headed to the main building. He hoped Lieutenant Frex has brought Ella in relatively good condition. Because of Ella's advancing disease problem she had to be put in a stasis pod.

Lieutenant Frex waited patiently for the arrival of the Admiral and straightened up the moment he saw him.

"At ease, lieutenant," Admiral Brigham said.

"Admiral,"

"Where is she?"

"She is up at Utopia Planitia docking bay."

"The pod?"

"Is in perfect condition," Lieutenant Frex replied. "The hospital was not too keen to release her given her advancing condition but they agreed on the pod as the best means of transport. Dr. Fletcher, however, expects your call. I think he needs reassurance that your information of a cure is not too farfetched."

"Of course he does." Admiral Brigham said. 'Doctors' He hated the lot of them by now. All their efforts had yielded at nothing. No one could find a way to save his granddaughter's life despite all the advancements of Federation technology and knowledge. No matter he will get her the help she needed and nothing can stop him. "The ship?"

"Ready on your orders," Lieutenant Frex replied. "Do we have a course?"

"Yes, we do." Admiral Brigham said. He had never liked Vulcans and he was unlikely to start now but that obnoxious Lieutenant Ohkuh got him the location of the one person who could help him.

Information on the whereabouts of Starfleet captains and their ships was common knowledge unless it is a special mission and the person he sought was on a special mission hence the reason he had to resort to asking Ohkuh's superiors for help.

He could only imagine that person's face when they meet while he's being on that secret mission but Brigham had to improvise. He had a narrow window of opportunity and he had to act quickly, thus throwing caution to the wind.

Lieutenant Frex interrupted his thoughts. "Ship reports readiness to depart. The pod is safely onboard."

"Excellent," Admiral Brigham exclaimed and tapped his com badge. "Relentless, this is Admiral Brigham, two to beam up."

"This is the Relentless. Copy Admiral."

The two were beamed out and rematerialized inside the Relentless' transport pad. The Admiral looked around satisfied and headed to the storage area where the pod was.

"Be patient, my sweet girl, you will soon get the help you need." He caressed the pod's front glass panel underneath which was his granddaughter's face. He moved away with difficulty but with adamant determination. He went for the nearest turbo lift and reached the bridge shortly after.

"Course, sir?"

The Admiral looked at the ragtag crew he had assembled. They were the worst of the worst, at least by Starfleet's standards, but he recruited them as he needed them.

"Course," The Admiral repeated. He went to the navigational console and handed to the pilot the pad with the coordinates. He took it and entered them. "Course, USS Enterprise, NCC 1701 D," And then added with a dark smile, "Engage…"

* * *

**To be continued…**

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Star Trek and all its characters belong to Paramount Pictures. Carrie belongs to author Stephen King but the words are mine. The characters of the Four Orders are entirely my own.

* * *

Requested Story by T-Rex-1000

* * *

**AU/ST/Carrie/FO: Admiral Brigham enacts a desperate plan to save the life of his granddaughter, enlisting the help of Starfleet captain: Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise under false pretense and no matter the cost. But the price comes too high…**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**Catching Up**

**Stardate 43644.97 (24.08.2366)**

**Near the Neutral Zone…USS Enterprise NCC 1701-D**

"Captain Picard, to the bridge!"

Jean-Luc was in his quarters. His mood today had him listen to Wagner's 'Rise of the Valkyries'.

"Computer, pause music," He said slightly irritated. He was just getting at the good deeply emotional part of the piece. "Bridge, report!" He said tapping his combadge.

"Captain," It was his first officer, the young, intrepid and yet now experienced Will Riker, his Number One. "We have entered Sector 6."

"I will be right there." Jean-Luc said. He stood up and straightened up his uniform standing before the mirror. He lingered for a moment there considering the past few weeks and his newest and strange orders.

There were times he was not sure what Starfleet was up to. For the past few days, the Enterprise has been moving from sector to sector near the border with the Romulans sniffing for something. That something was recorded in the ship's computers and technically speaking only Commander Data knew exactly what it was but he was programmed not to reveal it to anyone, not even him.

Speaking of Commander Data, Jean-Luc still wondered about him. He was the most peculiar being in his command. He was aspiring in every waking moment to be more human and yet he remained coldly robotic and naïve, and at times acted like a curious child.

These past few days, Data has been acting more oddly than usual. He was always on duty and he always left when his shift ended but he had been asking to visit sick bay more often than any other member of the crew.

Usually if he had problems, it was Commander LaForge he visited as he was the chief engineer of the ship. And Data's problem usually required that kind of help. Sadly, Beverly was as usual covering it "Doctor-patient privileges" that he could not override unless he had a very good reason, which he did not have.

Jean-Luc threw his last look in the mirror putting on his work face and left his quarters. He caught the closest turbolift and headed for the bridge.

* * *

**Sector 5 Neutral Zone**

ESS Relentless NX-1091 was not the type of ship, Admiral Brigham wanted to use but it was the only one that would not draw too much attention. It was a prototype ship originally designed in the 23rd century and which was a smaller, more functional facsimile of USS Crossfield.

"Admiral," It was Lt. Frex.

Admiral John Brigham moved away from his granddaughter's pod. He had been spending his time with her. He was using the sight of her pod as the building pillar of his determination.

"What is it, Lt?"

"We have arrived in Sector 5. "

"Excellent, "John exclaimed. He took one last look at the pod and headed for the bridge.

Reaching it he took a look again at it. It was not the standard design. It was circular with the control consoles along the wall (like any other ship of the 23rd century) with the command chair along in the middle. There was no chair for the first officer. At the time, they stood either at the navigation's console or beside their captain waiting to relay orders.

This ship however was slightly different. It was a smaller version of the Crossfield Class. It had limited science capability as it was designed more for scouting and hit-and-run kind of situations. It was small but powerful.

He had it retrofitted for 24th century use. He added more speed to it, advanced shielding and weapons. It had six decks, one hangar, and a crew complement of 60 people. It was not much but it served its purpose.

"Begin scanning," He ordered and sat on the command chair. He turned to the small display on his right side that contained the flowing data from the scans.

It did not appear that the Enterprise was in sector 5. But they were definitely here as the ship's sensors found their impulse trail.

"It appears our target has left the sector, Admiral." Lt Frex announced.

"Proceed to Sector 6. Warp Factor 9!" The admiral ordered. They had no time to lose.

The ship's nacelles contracted and the ship jumped to warp.

"Is there something else, Lt?" Admiral Brigham asked as he looked at his first officer.

'Not here', Lt Frex's uttered barely audibly.

The Admiral nodded. "Lt Mathilda, you have the Conn!"

* * *

And he and the lieutenant walked out of the bridge and headed for deck 4 that contained one improvised version of a ready room.

"What is it, Frex?"

Lt. Frex did not answer right away. He placed several devices around the door that produced hushing sounds – scramblers.

"I am sorry for being so covert, Admiral." Frex said. "But one has to be careful these days!"

"Spill it!"

"Since we left Earth, I had a few of my contacts remain vigilant for any possible threats to our mission."

"You found a threat?"

"Not exactly," Frex said and sat down. He placed a small cylindrical device before him that came to life and a holographic display appeared. It contained several lines of what looked like communication logs.

"What are those?"

"These are communication logs from Starfleet Intelligence."

"They mention us in any way?"

"No,"

"So why the panic and covertness?"

"They concern primarily Section 31."

"I thought Section 31 was terminated after their stunts in the 23rd and a few of the 24th."

"That is what Starfleet wants everyone to believe but section 31 is very much alive and on mission. They were the first Intelligence unit of Starfleet and the one that operates in the grey areas."

"I am aware what they were, Lt. But what got you spooked?"

"For some time now, I have monitored closely Starfleet Intelligence and discovered some of the S31's operatives. I managed to track one down and get a confession out of him."

"Why haven't you reported this to Starfleet?"

"Starfleet is the one endorsing them but the problem was and is that they have noticed that S31 has an agenda of their own. The operative mentioned the existence of two separate entities of S31. The first one obeys Starfleet but the second one has a mind of its own."

"Well, this is very informative Lt Frex but I still do not understand your covertness in this particular moment."

"And the reason is - ," Frex sighed. "The last communication I got from Earth was a few moments ago from one of my contacts. He said that there are S31 operatives aboard the USS Enterprise.

I am a bit panicked because these ones, I believe, are of the second S31."

"How does this affect our mission?" The Admiral still could not understand the panic in his first officer.

"Let me just show you the message." Frex said. He touched the pad and the message started playing.

The Admiral remained pensive after its end. There were many disturbing points in it. But mostly he could not help but admire his first offer's resourcefulness. He had succeeded to convert a S31 operative into one of his contacts (the very one he had forced a confession from).

It was also disturbing to know that Starfleet had changed their tactics when it comes to Section 31. Instead of having them operate in the open, they were scattered all over Starfleet and the federation outposts.

But the reason for their meeting was that S31 were scattered in the fleet. While Intelligence officers were not something unusual, having covert operatives on the flagship of the Federation with unknown agenda qualified as unusual and beckoned caution.

"I see your point, Lt. Frex." Admiral Brigham said after a while. "But this doesn't alter our mission. It just adds more than standard vigilance to it."

"My point was, Admiral, they could easily jeopardize our mission. They are not the usual type of Starfleet officers."

"You are afraid that S31 has bred an army? They are still Starfleet and they'll continue to be such. Lt, they tried that once and it did not work."

"Underestimating an enemy is not a good idea either, especially with a mission such as ours,"

"Overestimating the power of an entity that may or may not exist is just as foolish. There are no shadows in our corner. And if you happen to find the S31 operatives on Enterprise, just report them to its captain and he will take care of them. Eliminate them if necessary. Nothing will stand in the way of our mission. Is this understood, Lt Frex?"

"Yes, Admiral,"

"Still, I thank you for bringing this to my attention. It may prove useful in the future."

"Admiral! This is the bridge!"

"Go ahead," Admiral Brigham replied disabling the scramblers.

"We found them!"

"Excellent, we will be right up!" He looked at Frex. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, sir,"

"Good! Now to difficult part…"

"Difficult part, sir?"

"Convincing Jean-Luc!"

* * *

**Sector 6 near the Neutral Zone – USS Enterprise NCC 1701-D**

"Scans are complete." Commander Data announced.

"Anything," Commander Riker asked.

"Negative, sir,"

"Proceed to Sector 7." He ordered.

"Ah, sir, we are still waiting for Shuttlepod 6 to return!" Lt Worf informed.

"True," Will Riker acknowledged. "Once they return proceed to the next sector."

"Yes, sir,"

Will Riker returned to his post, the chair next to the captain's. This search for something that no one knew not what it was has begun to take its toll on the crew. But it was not the first time, Starfleet has given them a mission on a need to know basis and probably it will not be the last.

* * *

**Shuttle Bay, Deck 13 **

Guinan, the resident mystery, appeared from the turbolift with her bag heading for the blast doors of the shuttle bay. There she saw some repair and maintenance crewmen attending to a type 7 shuttle. She thought that one would be perfect.

"Mrs. Guinan," One of crewmen greeted. She recognized him. He visited Ten Forward often.

"Crewman Calisto," She replied.

"What brings you to Deck 13?"

"This shuttle, I need it."

Crewman Calisto checked the manifest but did not see any authorized uses of that shuttle. "I am afraid you are not on the roaster for a…"

"That would do, Mr. Calisto." Another voice interrupted him. Guinan turned in its direction and saw its source. It belonged to a lieutenant she has rarely seen in Ten Forward. "I will deal with Mrs. Guinan. Attend to Deck 12, Lt Machar could use your help with the power couplings!"

"Yes, sir," Calisto said. "Mrs. Guinan,"

"Lieutenant Deville, was it?" Guinan asked finally remembering his name.

"Correct,"

"I really need to leave the ship. This shuttle speaks to me!"

Lieutenant Deville eyed her for a long time. She felt uncomfortable under his gaze that seemed to penetrate her.

"Yes, I am sure it does." He said and continued to observe her. His eyebrows arched a bit narrowing his gaze. "May I be blunt?"

"Please do," Guinan replied.

"What are you up to Guinan?"

"Up to? I am not sure I understand your meaning." Guinan replied innocently.

"The bartender of Ten Forward, enjoying her work, listening to…well everything, suddenly packs her bag and leaves from one of the least visited shuttle bays with barely operating shuttle, albeit being type 7."

Guinan looked at him expectantly. "Yes…"

"Not venturing a goodbye…well…to anyone, no submitted flight path, no authorization for departure, just a bag and a wishful thought…" Lt Deville continued. "I would say that qualifies as – "What are you up to Guinan?"

"It is nothing." She replied, her voice steady.

"Confident and yet afraid," Lt Deville said as he had begun to circle her. "Care to share…this dread?"

Guinan truly felt uneasy with this man. His observations were spot on.

"It is not a dread. I just really have to leave the ship…"

"So you are afraid how your presence will affect whatever is about to happen?" It was really a question but rather an observation. "How curious,"

Usually Guinan had no problem reading people but this one puzzled her a lot. It was like there was an impenetrable wall guarding him rendering him – mysterious. He was in a way like her – a mystery. It was not something she expected to see in a Starfleet officer.

She noticed his smile. It was playful and devilish. He circled her for a bit then moved to the shuttle and said. "Safe travels, Madam Guinan!"

She was a bit surprised at the turn of events. She was almost certain he would report her as any Starfleet officer would have by now. "Thank you!"

"Just, don't forget to come back, after whatever it is." He said. "Oh, and do bring some fresh croissants, beurre ou chocolat, will do."

"I will try to fetch some." The shuttle door closed and the bay doors opened. She directed the shuttle out and soon as she was out, she jumped to warp. She could not tell anyone why she was leaving. She was certain Jean-Luc will believe her but she could not be on the ship. It was too much of a risk. She was grateful though that no one stopped her.

* * *

**Bridge**

"Deck 13 reports a shuttle was sent for resupplies and will rendezvous with us in Sector 8." Lt Worf reported.

"Acknowledged," Will Riker said. "Has shuttle pod 6 returned?"

"Yes, sir,"

"Proceed to Sector 7," Will Riker ordered. "Mr. Data, warp factor 7…"

"Sir!" Lt. Worf interrupted.

"What is it, Mr. Worf?"

"Sensors have picked up a small vessel travelling at high warp!" Worf informed.

"Destination?"

"According to sensors," Worf said checking the data. "It will arrive momentarily."

"Captain Picard to the bridge," Will Riker called on the com. "Raise shields, yellow alert!"

Jean-Luc appeared from the turbolift with Commander Troi. They both reached their posts and sat down.

"Report!"

"A small vessel just drop out high warp, at grid coordinates 320 by 302." Commander Data replied.

"Identify?"

"According to the sensors," Worf said. "It identifies as the ESS Relentless NX-1091."

"NX 1091?" Will Riker exclaimed stunned.

"Wasn't that a prototype ship?" Jean-Luc asked.

"Affirmative, Crossfield class," Worf replied.

"Crossfield?" Will Riker said.

"The prototype was decommissioned in the late 23rd century. It was meant as a scout ship."

"So what is it doing out here?"

* * *

**To be continued…**

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Star Trek and all its characters belong to Paramount Pictures. Carrie belongs to author Stephen King but the words are mine. The characters of the Four Orders are entirely my own.

* * *

Requested Story by T-Rex-1000

**AU/ST/Carrie/FO: Admiral Brigham enacts a desperate plan to save the life of his granddaughter, enlisting the help of Starfleet captain: Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise under false pretense and no matter the cost. But the price comes too high…**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**Previously:**

"Captain Picard to the bridge," Will Riker called on the com. "Raise shields, yellow alert!"

Jean-Luc appeared from the turbolift with Commander Troi. They both reached their posts and sat down.

"Report!"

"A small vessel just drop out high warp, at grid coordinates 320 by 302." Commander Data replied.

"Identify?"

"According to the sensors," Worf said. "It identifies as the ESS Relentless NX-1091."

"NX 1091?" Will Riker exclaimed stunned.

"Wasn't that a prototype ship?" Jean-Luc asked.

"Affirmative, Crossfield class," Worf replied.

"Crossfield?" Will Riker said.

"The prototype was decommissioned in the late 23rd century. It was meant as a scout ship."

"So what is it doing out here?"

* * *

**And now:**

Jean-Luc contemplated on Number One's question. Crossfield Class vessels have not been in use since the late 23rd century or barely the beginning of the 24th, let alone a prototype ship. Whoever was on it must be on an important mission or covert one, or both. Still he would have received an advanced warning from Starfleet and he had received none.

On the other hand he was on a covert mission and that made him wonder how the other vessel knew where to find them. Starfleet usually did not mix ships on covert missions unless utterly necessary. So it made him wonder – who was on that ship and why the secrecy?

"Captain, we've been hailed." Lt Worf announced.

"On screen," Jean-Luc ordered.

"Um, the request is for your eyes only, Captain."

"Transfer it to my ready room," Jean-Luc said and left the bridge. Entering the ready room, he sat on his desk and pressed a button to accept the incoming call.

"Code required," the computer announced.

"Picard, authorization Alpha, Alpha 3-0-4," Jean-Luc said.

The screen activated.

"Hello, Jean-Luc, old friend!"

"Admiral Brigham!" Jean-Luc exclaimed. He was pleased to see him though a bit surprised. He had not heard of him for the last 5 years. They met long ago – first time in the academy and then after the incident with the Star Gazer.

Jean-Luc looked into his eyes and saw it. The admiral was not the same man he remembered the very last time they met. He was vigorous and full of life. Now all he could see is tiredness and exhaustion. What has become of his good old friend? What has life or Starfleet done to one of its best? He could only wonder.

"It is good to see you again, Jean-Luc." Admiral Brigham said.

"Likewise but what brings you in my neck of space?"

The admiral pondered for a moment if he should shoot his issue straight away but knew that would be a mistake. He needed to be onboard. He needed to persuade him. He knew Jean-Luc still felt his imposing presence and respected it.

"It is something best discussed over dinner and not on an open channel."

"Of course," Jean-Luc replied though he sensed some form of urgency in the admiral's voice that he found slightly disturbing. The channel they used was perfectly secure so why the admiral was hesitant to discuss it openly remained a small mystery. Still he needed to find out. "Yours or mine?"

"Your ship is more luxurious than this small bucket. We don't want to be sipping Earl Grey standing over the crates in the cargo hold."

"Of course not," Jean-Luc replied with a smile. The admiral has not lost his charming remarks. He remembered one meeting where the admiral's clever remarks succeeded to offend the visiting Vulcans that greatly elevated him in the eyes of his colleagues. It is a rare sight to see Vulcans storming out of the door exclaiming vocally their displeasure for lack of manners. "However at the moment, my Chief Engineer doesn't recommend the use of the transporters, so I will send a shuttle to collect you. I don't imagine your ship has many of those?"

"It does but it is fit more for cow hoarders than officers of Starfleet."

"19:00?"

"I will be waiting."

"Excellent, see you then, Admiral. Picard out!"

* * *

Admiral Brigham relaxed. That was the first step. It was the first small victory but the hardest part still remained – convincing Jean-Luc. He had long time to prepare and find the right way of doing this. Though, last night, he had an even more brilliant idea on how to pull this.

Jean-Luc was fiercely protective of Starfleet and the ideals of the Federation however he had seen the cracks in his armor. He had followed his career carefully and knew that at times Jean-Luc would choose to go against the Federation if needed and he counted on that.

His plan had begun to form as soon as he left Starfleet's headquarters but refined over this voyage. He now knew what gamble to present – the hidden threat. It was the perfect way to convince him that the Federation may not do what is best for itself and that – they few had to do it for them, a noble sacrifice. If they succeeded they will be thanked and if not no one will know.

Dinner time arrived quickly and the admiral readied himself. It was time for the greatest gamble of all times. He caressed the pod where his granddaughter still fought for her life and with the courage this last touch gave him mastered his feelings and resolve and he left for the cargo bay.

The Enterprise D shuttle landed gracefully. The admiral took a deep breath and walked to it. The hatch opened and it was an ensign that greeted him.

"Good evening, sir."

"It is always evening in space, ensign…"

"Ensign Carrington, sir" The ensign helped the admiral. There was no way for him to know his name. The Enterprise is a big ship. No outsider is expected to know everyone's name. "But in space, there is no night or day, sir."

"Smart lad," Admiral Brigham sighed. Not everyone was born with a sense of humor. 'Not that this one is very bright either. Starfleet must have lowered the quota when selecting him.' Or perhaps, the admiral thought, he was good at something else. "Let's not keep, Captain Picard waiting."

"Yes, sir," Ensign Carrington replied. He was amused at the admiral's remark though. He thought his presentation as not very bright seemed to have relaxed the admiral. He always found that playing dumb makes people relax and sometimes say things they wouldn't under normal circumstances.

Carrington was a bit surprised when he learned he was picking up an admiral from the prototype ship which he had recognized as an altered version of the cross field class ships. Of course, on classified missions one can meet anyone travelling on any kind of barge but still the choice of the ship is very important. It speaks of the person's intentions.

And the choice of this admiral was most peculiar. Cross field class vessels were often tasked on dangerous missions as their personnel could handle a number of different fields hence the name – cross field. Starfleet ships were often like the Enterprise – science vessels and the ability to defend given the somewhat paramilitary training. But cross fields were a different story. They were often very prolific and specialized.

So what was this admiral up to? Why would Starfleet entrust this kind of ship to an old admiral that has not been in the saddle for a long time? That was a question only his commanding officer might be able to answer as this would definitely peak his interest. An old class ship – transporting an old Starfleet admiral – on a possible classified mission… how did he know – well it was not that much of stretch to think that given that the Enterprise was on a covert mission. And finding it is not information that Starfleet would simply share with anyone.

The shuttle docked on the Enterprise. Carrington opened the hatch and helped the admiral out who was then greeted by Captain Picard himself.

"Thank you, Ensign Carrington,"

"Just doing my duty, Captain," Carrington said.

"Dismissed,"

"Yes, sir,"

Jean-Luc turned his attention to the admiral. "Welcome aboard the Enterprise, Admiral Brigham."

"Ever so formal, Jean-Luc," Admiral Brigham said accepting the extended hand of Picard's.

"It is protocol, Admiral." Jean-Luc replied not in the slightest offended by the admiral's familiarity.

"Of course, lead the way, Captain Picard," Admiral Brigham said suppressing a smile.

Jean-Luc straightened his uniform and stepped outside the landing bay into the corridor with the admiral following him.

"It has been five years since our last meeting…"

"Always eager to reminisce too, I see." Admiral Brigham interrupted the walk down memory lane. It was a bit early for it. He realized Jean-Luc was simply trying to have small talk during their walk to dinner. "I would not have expected you to grow old so quickly, my young friend."

Old friend, young friend, the admiral had his way with words. And as always he enjoyed the misdirection Jean-Luc had been used to back in the days. Jean-Luc chose not to answer this potential conversational trap and just walked.

* * *

Ensign Carrington left the landing bay and headed straight for the bowels of the ship. He needed to report his observations to his commanding officer. He soon found him doing some diagnostics on the shield array. He signaled him and went to a small storage room one deck below.

He did not have to wait for long. His commanding officer arrived and stood expectantly.

"Colonel, I have some…"

"Major," The other person interrupted him hissing belligerently. "How many times have I told you not to use our ranks in here?"

"The room is secure, sir."

"This is the flagship of the Federation, of Starfleet. Never assume anything."

"Yes, colo…I mean lieutenant,"

"Now what is it so important that I had to find some lame excuse to meet you here?"

Ensign Carrington did not wait and presented his report. The lieutenant stood still for several minutes assimilating this information. The ensign was right about one thing – it was a curious choice for an admiral on a possible covert mission to use this type of vessel. Still covert missions take different forms and shapes but the choice of the ship was peculiar even for Starfleet.

"What was stored in that cargo bay?" The lieutenant asked. "What did you see?"

"It looked like life support components."

"For a ship?"

"No, I don't think so. There were just a few crates."

"And the rest?"

Ensign Carrington focused his thoughts on what he saw. At the time he did not pay much attention to it as the admiral came quickly. "From what I was able to glance - there were crates marked FXC 32B and something that resembled MXV C24, and I am not sure for the rest."

The lieutenant remained pensive. This was most unusual.

"What is it lieutenant?"

"FXC 32B and MXV C24, are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes, sir, I'm positive. Why, what is it?"

"FXC 32B?" The lieutenant repeated slowly as though trying to remember something and then he added. "Authenticator 32 Beta for built of flux energy," He remained pensive again for a moment then continued. "MXV C24 – that probably is TMXV – Timex Vortex Component 24 Alpha"

"I don't understand."

"These are components for a …." The lieutenant paused and then resumed his trail of thought. "…for a theoretical time tracker…."

"What? What is that?"

"What the hell is that admiral up to?" The lieutenant flared up. "There is no way his mission is sanctioned by Starfleet…"

* * *

**To be continued…**

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Star Trek and all its characters belong to Paramount Pictures. Carrie belongs to author Stephen King but the words are mine. The characters of the Four Orders are entirely my own.**

* * *

Requested Story by T-Rex-1000

**AU/ST/Carrie/FO: Admiral Brigham enacts a desperate plan to save the life of his granddaughter, enlisting the help of Starfleet captain: Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise under false pretense and no matter the cost. But the price comes too high…**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**Previously:**

"What was stored in that cargo bay?" The lieutenant asked. "What did you see?"

"It looked like life support components."

"For a ship?"

"No, I don't think so. There were just a few crates."

"And the rest?"

Ensign Carrington focused his thoughts on what he saw. At the time he did not pay much attention to it as the admiral came quickly. "From what I was able to glance - there were crates marked FXC 32B and something that resembled MXV C24, and I am not sure for the rest."

The lieutenant remained pensive. This was most unusual.

"What is it lieutenant?"

"FXC 32B and MXV C24, are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes, sir, I'm positive. Why, what is it?"

"FXC 32B?" The lieutenant repeated slowly as though trying to remember something and then he added. "Authenticator 32 Beta for built of flux energy," He remained pensive again for a moment then continued. "MXV C24 – that probably is TMXV – Timex Vortex Component 24 Alpha"

"I don't understand."

"These are components for a …." The lieutenant paused and then resumed his trail of thought. "…for a theoretical time tracker…."

"What? What is that?"

"What the hell is that admiral up to?" The lieutenant flared up. "There is no way his mission is sanctioned by Starfleet…"

* * *

**And now**

The two remained silent for some time.

"Of course, I could be wrong." The lieutenant said. "The two components can be used for other projects. 32B could help with subspace studies augmenting the current sensors. C24A could be used with the deflector dish for any number of spatial projects."

Silence overtook the small storage room again.

"But it could be for that time tracker thing too?" Ensign Carrington voiced out his concern as he had rarely seen his commanding officer lose control of his emotions.

"Yes, it could." The lieutenant nodded. "But let's hope I am wrong. Still keep your eyes and ears open, and report to me anything out of the ordinary."

"Yes, sir,"

"Return to your duties then, ensign."

"Yes, sir,"

The lieutenant remained in the storage room. Something about this bothered him and the tip of the iceberg was Guinan leaving the ship. The El-Aurian never did anything without a reason, without a motive. She must have sensed something and that is what he thought when she left.

Nah, the lieutenant thrust head. 'It could be anything or not at all related to this.' Making assumptions with little to none information was always a bad idea. Still the timing was a bit coincidental.

The only thing to do was to keep one's eyes and ears open and wait for the universe to unfold its plans. He sighed deeply and left the small storage room returning to his duties.

* * *

**Sick Bay**

Dr. Beverly Crusher was alone at present in the sick bay. Today was a slow day. She barely had anything to do all day other than routine tests and treat some joint inflammations from two crew-members that have employed their free time playing tennis.

There was a chime on the door. She looked up and noticed the time. It made her smile. It was 19:00 and like clockwork, she knew who it was.

"Come in!" She said aloud.

The doors opened and Commander Data entered.

"Good evening, Doctor."

"Commander Data," She acknowledged his presence with a nod. "Your usual station?"

"Yes, Doctor,"

Beverley shook head and led him to a small medic station. "There, you have it. If you need anything, please, let me know."

"I will. Thank you, Doctor,"

She shook head and returned to her office. Commander Data came to her several weeks ago with a very peculiar request. She asked him why not simply download the data he needed at his station in his room but the android apparently wanted to stay in contact with her in case he had questions.

Questions! He had many. They included various topics of the human physiology and its interactions with currents (yes, currents, if you could believe it). Of course the weirdest part was that he wanted to study everything the normal way. He did not want to take any shortcuts that his physiology allowed him. This elevated him even more in Beverley's eyes.

Of course she knew that he studied in Starfleet academy and she doubted he used a cable to download all pertinent data into his mind but still it was a feat worthy of praise. And unlike humans he did not require any sleep or stimulating agents to keep one's eyes open.

Speaking of which, she had forgotten as usual lunch and was getting hungry. She informed him of leaving for it at which point Data nodded and replied with the usual 'Of course, Doctor,' and she left him.

* * *

**ESS Relentless NX1091, Hangar Bay**

Lieutenant Frex used the time the admiral was on the Enterprise to get their project started. He went there as soon as the admiral left.

"Get the crates and let's get to work." He ordered.

"Yes, sir," The crewmen and crewwomen replied. They got the FXB 32B and TMVX 24A and other smaller crates and opened them. The components contained inside were taken out and placed on the floor.

Lt. Frex got out the blueprints of what they had to build. It was a delicate job mostly because the device was theoretical and while it has been assembled before it has never been used or tested properly. He only hoped that it does what it is supposed to do otherwise this mission would be pointless.

He was also hoping their mission will go according to plan although he was prepared for the worst as plans tend never to get done the way you plan them. There were so many variables and so many things that could go wrong so he needed a backup but that was provided this device does what…nah...it will do it. The admiral rarely gets excited by scientific projects.

The one true dread he had was the Section 31 operatives, the ones with the unknown agendum. He did not feel at ease knowing that they are currently aboard the flagship of Starfleet. Of course they knew nothing of this mission otherwise they wouldn't have left space dock. But still he had to remain vigilant.

His informant was afraid when he spoke of the others. He was truly scared of them. Starfleet officers were never truly at ease with Section 31 even when they operated in the open.

* * *

"NO!" Lt. Frex exclaimed when he noticed one of the crewmen trying to place a component in the wrong section. "This goes there and that one goes here." He showed him.

"Yes, sir, sorry, sir"

"It is alright." Lt. Frex said and visibly relaxed. As he had told them in the beginning it was a delicate job. All they needed was to be calm and everything will go well otherwise the Enterprise might need to investigate a mystery of their own whose results will not be in the admiral's favor.

Speaking of the admiral, Lt. Frex remembered that he had to check the granddaughter's stasis pod but he could not do it until the device is built. He did not trust the crew to do it right. It was a delicate job and they were all in his opinion grease monkeys told to build a star-ship.

The building of the device took longer than anticipated as it was indeed a very delicate job. It was important not to make it wrong otherwise when activating the described side effects could easily kick in and then the Enterprise will have to study one heck of a mystery revolving around their starboard side.

Lt. Frex checked and rechecked the blueprints to ensure they got it right. He then took a very deep breath and crossing his fingers activated it. He sighed with relief when none of the described side effects appeared (as it was written that they should at the moment of activation if it were incorrectly assembled).

Still Frex wondered why this simple device might produce such effects. All it did was accumulate flux energy and some form of subspace radiation that then through the main interface can be used to pinpoint the whereabouts, the exact whereabouts of anyone in the past or the future with as little information about them as available. It did not need precise historical reference. It needed just something – a facsimile of what you want found. And then it scans the continuum and finds it.

* * *

'I need to inform the admiral that the time tracker is ready.' and again remembering the admiral he left the hangar bay and headed to where they kept the granddaughter. He still needed to check her stasis pod.

Ella Brigham, the granddaughter, was in her twenties and she was beautiful, at least in Frex's eyes and perhaps everyone else's. She was no model of course but still close. She had jet black eyes and brittle hair, which was now in complete disarray. It happened when they were moving her in the stasis pod. It gave her a very weird look (or something out of the horror movies of the past).

Yet Frex panted over her. His lust was aroused every single time he saw her. And he was not to blame much as she was very well endowed (nature has been very giving). And being in her medic gown was not helping either as it was very thin.

Lt. Frex sighed and focused on the task at hand which was to check the pod for any variations or unexpected side effects. Everything was in order. The onboard instruments registered everything is tiptop and so did his tricorder. He threw her one last look and left heading for the bridge.

"Lt. Frex," Lt. Mathilda greeted and moved off the command chair.

He promptly sat. "Has the admiral made contact?"

"Not yet, sir."

"Are there any unusual activities in and around us?"

"No, sir, or at least as far as these sensors can tell us,"

Lt. Frex grunted in agreement. The sensors on this ship were not merely as advanced as the lowest class of ships in the Starfleet armada. They were perhaps excellent for their time but in the 24th they were barely sufficient for anything. Still they had their rudimentary use. The ship itself was built essentially for hit-and-run situations. It was small but it packed a lot of firepower.

"Actually there is something although with these sensors…"

"What is it, Ensign Cure?"

"Every now and then we are picking up a spike in the interlacing subspace eddies and it always emanates from the Enterprise or at least so far."

"So like it is a crack in the dimensional wall?"

"Well without more sophisticated sensors, I can only speculate and say – probably yes."

"What could be the cause of such occurrence?"

"I don't know, sir, without…"

"Yes, yes, without the sensors, I got it." Lt. Frex frowned. It was an interesting something though what without more advanced sensors it was foolish to speculate. Of course as the usual the timing of things was not something to overlook. The logical course of action would have been to alert the Enterprise so they can run a full scan but he did not want to do that given that they might pick up the time tracker's signature and it was not time for that yet.

Still they needed to be vigilant about anything out of the ordinary. "Ensign Cure, keep an eye on this anomaly and try to see if you can get a more accurate reading of what it is or at the very least its location on the Enterprise (in or out)."

"Yes, sir,"

* * *

**USS Enterprise NCC1701 D, Captain's Quarters**

Dinner was served in the captain's quarters. Admiral Brigham wanted a private chat with the captain that Jean-Luc understood perfectly. And while they ate in silence or just exchanging gossip from in and around Starfleet and the Federation, Brigham was preparing the bombshell announcement with which he intended to hook the captain in his net.

"I heard about your granddaughter." Jean-Luc said.

Admiral Brigham was slightly surprised as this caught him a bit off guard.

"I understand she suffers from some form of blood disease." Jean-Luc continued. "Perhaps, my Chief Medical Officer can take a look."

"I appreciate the offer, Jean-Luc, but the best and brightest in the Federation took a crack at it and nothing. I even tried some of the weird neighbors we got and still nothing. It is a very rare form of blood disease."

"So what – you just give up trying?" Jean-Luc arched an eyebrow. "Beverly, Dr. Crusher has perhaps seen more things than most of the Federation doctors aboard the Enterprise."

"Giving up?" The admiral raised his voice slightly in order to sound slightly offended by this idea. "No, never!"

"My apologies, Admiral, I did not mean to sound…"

"It is alright, Jean-Luc. I just don't want to give way to the idea that it is incurable." The admiral sighed burying his fingers into his hair and then pulled them away. "I have seen many doctors and they all say the same – it can't be cured. But you and I, we don't believe in a no-win scenario."

"True, we don't."

Admiral Brigham smiled. "I still have hope but I see your point too, Jean-Luc. I will give her the opportunity to try."

"How's that?"

"She's aboard my ship. I couldn't get myself to let her stay in the hospitals anymore."

Jean-Luc frowned. "Why would you take such a risk? If something goes wrong how you would deal with it?"

"Relax, Jean-Luc, she is in a stasis pod."

"Oh,"

"Oh come on, Jean-Luc, do you believe that I would be that reckless with my own flesh and blood?"

"No, of course not, I did not mean to…"

"It is alright." The admiral was actually ecstatic that the conversion turned in this direction. He was so close now but he had to do this step by step. "I can have her brought here after we finish our dinner."

"Of course, I will alert Dr. Crusher…"

"But first let's finish our dinner, there is no rush."

"Of course, more wine?"

"Yes, please…" The admiral replied. He could taste victory soon…

* * *

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Star Trek and all its characters belong to Paramount Pictures. Carrie belongs to author Stephen King but the words are mine. The characters of the Four Orders are entirely my own.

* * *

Requested Story by T-Rex-1000

**AU/ST/Carrie/FO: Admiral Brigham enacts a desperate plan to save the life of his granddaughter, enlisting the help of Starfleet captain: Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise under false pretense and no matter the cost. But the price comes too high…**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**Captain's Quarters **

**43648.86 (25.08.2366 20:00)**

"Admiral, this is unacceptable!" Jean-Luc scolded him. He was barely controlling his emotions that were suddenly put to the test. "I will not take part of this. This is a violation of the Temporal Prime Directive! This is wrong."

"Captain Picard!" The Admiral raised his voice to remind him whom he was addressing. "The stakes could not be higher, Captain! How many Federation lives do you want to lose in the process?"

"That is hardly fair, Admiral!"

"Life is not fair, Captain Picard. We all like to pretend that all is cozy and that we have defeated our nature and that we are better but the sad truth is we are not, the galaxy is not. And while we debate morals lives are lost in the most heinous way imaginable.

If it were on the battlefield then you could say they were fighting for the ideals of the Federation, for something bigger than themselves, for the future but what future do we have when we are attacked in this way – none!"

"I am sorry, Admiral, but one life is hardly the proof of a mass tactic to eliminate the Federation in the manner you are describing. Your granddaughter has been in this condition for years, years, not days!"

"Yes and that is the insidious part of it. How do you test such a weapon – in minutes, in hours, in days… no, captain, you test it in years!"

"You are asking the impossible of me, Admiral. You are asking me to betray the Federation, Starfleet and everything I believe in for one rumor…"

"Rumor!"The Admiral bellowed. "So my word suddenly turned into rumor."

"So why has Starfleet not appraised me or anyone of this crisis?"

"Because, like you they like to pretend the problem doesn't exist."

"The Temporal Prime Directive exists for a reason, Admiral!"

"I can find you hundreds of examples when it was broken. The most recent person to do that is Starfleet's most famous captain – James Tiberius Kirk! He holds the records – 17 separate violations of the Temporal Prime Directive and did Starfleet do – they promoted him to rear admiral…"

"And then they demoted him back to Captain." Jean- Luc recited.

"And he remained captain until he died in 2293." The admiral continued. "My point is this has been done before and it has not had any consequences for the Federation."

"But there is always a risk, Admiral. While our technology has advanced a lot it takes only one mistake on our part and the future to which we return will not be ours."

"Captain, if we thought that way we would still in our own solar system. Risk is part of the job. You and I have a chance to find a cure for something that countless doctors have told me doesn't exist. And when Ella dies, the enemy will know – we can't do shit to stop it because we are not even trying. We have given up!

If this is a test as you believe, Jean-Luc, then we have failed it with flying colors. The greatest scientific civilization of the Milky Way Galaxy can't solve one puzzle, one little disease of our own blood! And when the Federation disappears then they will know what to put on our gravestone – "Send in the Blood Disease and watch the Federation die for lack of trying to save its own skin, an Empire of cowards and illiterate morons who gave up when it became too hard."

Jean-Luc stopped his pacing that he's been doing ever since the Admiral dropped that bombshell just half an hour ago. He did not enjoy the storm of epithets the admiral used to describe his indecisiveness. But whether a test or a real threat, Jean-Luc could not turn his back on the one life he could save (by breaking the Temporal Prime Directive). Still the Directive existed for a reason. They could not start using it as precedent every time they ran into something that can't be found in their century.

"And one more thing, Captain, since we are venturing history, the same captain went back in time to San Francisco in the year 1986 to fetch a few humpback whales to save Earth in 2286 when their masters nearly destroyed Earth."

Jean-Luc was aware of history but that was an exception and it was approved by Starfleet and classified as extraordinary circumstance. They had subsequently to send teams to recover the technology left behind by Commander Pavel Chekov.

Of course the admiral could easily use this argument to state that the rules change depending on the situation. But he could not in good consciousness fit this situation within this parameter. He understood the admiral's desire to help his granddaughter. He also understood his reluctance to involve Starfleet in this decision but that put him in a very precarious position, one that cost him his command, his career.

"I need time to think this one over." Jean-Luc decided to bide his time. He really needed to process this.

"Time is not on our side, Captain. While Ella is a stasis pod the disease has not slowed its progress. She doesn't have long." The Admiral said accentuating on her condition. Actually she could stay in the pod for years but he did not want to lose momentum. "But of course, you can have some time."

"Thank you, Admiral! "Jean-Luc said indicating to the admiral that he had to leave. "I will let you know of my decision shortly."

Admiral Brigham left the captain's quarters. He did not expect Jean-Luc to be this stubborn. He thought he would jump at the opportunity to shove it in the face of Starfleet but apparently he had been wrong. Still he needed the Enterprise as his ship can't handle it. But hope has not abandoned him completely.

* * *

Earlier in the morning, the Enterprise's CMO Dr. Crusher took a whack at Ella and her condition. Apparently she had studied the problem during the night and had some insights that the admiral had to crush several times as he had seen these options before. And of course, she had reached the only conclusion that has led the admiral to his current course: Ella needed blood transfusion from a relative.

Of course he had to explain why his current family did not fit the bill for that (and truthfully they did not). They needed the blood of the bloodline's originator untainted by the changes of time and tragedies that had befallen his family. They needed Carrie White.

Of course, the Admiral had to omit a few things about her. Those details he had shared only with his first officer as they needed to find a way to counter them. Carrie White's blood will save his granddaughter but Carrie herself had to be contained. The best approach would be when she was on her way to the morgue.

The people at the time did not know that Carrie while visibly dead was not entirely dead and she could be resuscitated and brought back. He needed her back to life and then he would gladly put her back in the morgue van. It did not matter to him whether she would live or not as she had already created his family even without knowing. Her mother had been crueler than the punks that splashed pig's blood over her during that fatal night.

* * *

Jean-Luc was relieved when the admiral left his quarters. His crazy endeavor has placed him in a very difficult position as it was his duty to inform Starfleet of this development. But he was hesitant.

The last time there was a mass conspiracy (that nearly succeeded) it was mothballed so quickly that no one was allowed to talk about it ever again. It happened during his first year of his command. A race of weird worms had tried to seize control of the Federation and they nearly succeeded. And then Jean-Luc expected a full investigation as to how that came to be but there was none. Instead there was **Special Order 48666** that stated that' Prohibited the dissemination of any knowledge of the Starfleet Command's exercise incident of the same year where cadets had seized control when the exercise had gotten out of control.'

Jean-Luc thrust head. Was he heading down the same path again? The last time he tried to argue the special order he was reprimanded though that did not appear on his record so he had to let it go. He wondered if this time it would be the same.

He needed fresh pair of heads to make this decision so he invited Dr. Crusher, Commanders Data and LaForge, Lt. Worf and Number One. He talked with each individually trying to get a grasp of their opinions. And they varied though adamant that Starfleet should be involved in the decision but Number One had one different argument given the possibility of Starfleet's reaction.

"If Starfleet's reaction is the same as before then perhaps we should not involve them."

"Then how do we do this?"

"We do it by the book. We examine all possible outcomes and form a plan. Then we will decide if we can do this without contaminating the timeline."

"And what will we tell Starfleet?"

"We don't have to tell them anything or we can always disguise it as some of disaster that forced us into the past."

"That would be perfect, Number One, if only I had not involved Commander Data into this discussion."

"Ah," Commander Riker exclaimed. "Well this complicates things. He's bound to tell the truth when and if they ask. But perhaps we can create a scenario that Commander Data will concur that this was our only option."

"It would have to be one hell of a deception, Number One. Commander Data is not easily fooled." Jean-Luc said. "And I am not particularly fond of the idea."

"But you want to help Ella Brigham?"

"I do and that is the problem. I have no legal way of doing that."

"There is one alternative."

"Such as?"

"**Regulation 19, Section C**!"

"But that would allow the admiral to take command until the threat is neutralized."

"True but under this regulation he can do what needs to be done and Commander Data even if asked of your conversation with him will have to admit that it applies."

"I am not fond of that idea either."

"True but should push come to shove, we will have an excuse."

"That regulation can be issued by Starfleet or the Federation council,"

"Well isn't that what the Admiral suggested without actually citing it?"

"Fair point, Number One." Jean-Luc admitted. Still there would be some confusion with this but it can be easily explained though it would be a hard sell. "Get the admiral here although…"

"We should proceed with care about this mission nevertheless. There is still a potential risk."

"That's right, Number One. Get him here."

"Yes, sir,"

"And enter with him but no one else,"

"Yes, Captain,"

* * *

Admiral Brigham was surprised of the quick development but followed Riker without hesitation.

"Captain Picard,"

"I have some conditions that are not negotiable."

"Of course,"

"The one problem I'm having with this mission is that we have no historical records of the whereabouts of Ms. Carrie White."

"I have them."

"Family history?"

"Not quite,"

"You will have to share."

"And I will when you decide we do this."

Jean-Luc did not like this answer. It seemed that the Admiral intended to use some other means to locate her and his unwillingness to share suggested it was not very legal either. This beckoned caution. But then seeing Number One's expression and his lips muttering the regulation Jean-Luc could relax on that front.

"Alright, you will share with us her location. We will examine all possible ways in and out to ensure that we do not find ourselves in violation of…Number One?"

"**Regulation 157, Section 3 (Paragraph 18)**," Commander Riker cited.

"Of course, "Admiral Brigham nodded in agreement. He did not intend to get anyone involved in historical events.

"Then, we will go and get Ms. White. Once the transfusion is done, she will be returned back to where we found her with no knowledge of what has happened and then we will return home."

"I agree."

"Now under normal circumstances, I cannot in good conscious condom this course of action and I have an obligation as Starfleet officer to report your request to Starfleet Command. I also do not agree with your tactics regardless of what is at stake for you however it is out of my hands."

Admiral Brigham frowned. What was Jean-Luc up to? He wondered.

"Number One", assemble the command staff in my ready room."

"Yes, Captain,"

"Follow me, Admiral,"

* * *

Admiral Brigham was on his toes. The Captain was definitely up to something and he was not sure he wanted to find out what. So far the two have been spot-on on every Starfleet regulation. So he wondered what they were up to, for the nth time.

They reached the ready room and sat down waiting for the others and they arrived shortly after looking expectantly at the captain.

He stood up and straightened his uniform. He looked into each person's eyes sitting around before making this decision. He knew he had one trick up his sleeve should this go wrong and that was **Regulation 619** that stated that "The commanding officer must relieve themselves of command if their current mission leaves them emotionally compromised and unable to make rational decisions."

Thinking a bit he came up with another regulation that could serve him well should the admiral decide to be difficult and that was **Regulation 208 (paragraph 2)** that "Allows an active captain to override the orders of other officers."

And then there were one another that could serve him with Beverly's help and that were **Starfleet Order 104 Section C: **"Should it be proven with admissible evidence that the flag officer who had assumed command was medically or psychologically unfit for command, the starship's ranking officer could relieve them on that basis. However, such an action was required to be supported by an appropriate certification of unfitness by the ship's chief medical officer (requiring the CMO to also produce test results to that effect) or other clear evidence, such as an act of attempted suicide". And of course Beverly could easily use the medical protocols to that effect too - **Regulation 121 (Section A).**

He thought to himself – 'one can always find a relief in the bylaws of Starfleet.' He felt so as he was at unease of what he was about to do that went against all his instincts but the problem was he could not turn his back on Ella Brigham especially when he had the means to save her life even it involved some fancy maneuvering with the laws of the Federation and Starfleet.

"I thank you all for coming. As you all know Ella Brigham's life hangs in a balance because of a disease introduced by an alien species with the intent to harm the lives of Federation citizens and as such has been recognized as direct threat to Federation security by Admiral Brigham who as of this moment is in Command of the USS Enterprise under **Regulation 19 Section C**."

* * *

**To be continued…**

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Star Trek and all its characters belong to Paramount Pictures. Carrie belongs to author Stephen King but the words are mine. The characters of the Four Orders are entirely my own.**

* * *

Requested Story by T-Rex-1000

**AU/ST/Carrie/FO: Admiral Brigham enacts a desperate plan to save the life of his granddaughter, enlisting the help of Starfleet captain: Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise under false pretense and no matter the cost. But the price comes too high…**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**Previously:**

Admiral Brigham was on his toes. The Captain was definitely up to something and he was not sure he wanted to find out what. So far the two have been spot-on on every Starfleet regulation. So he wondered what they were up to, for the nth time.

They reached the ready room and sat down waiting for the others and they arrived shortly after looking expectantly at the captain.

He stood up and straightened his uniform. He looked into each person's eyes sitting around before making this decision. He knew he had one trick up his sleeve should this go wrong and that was **Regulation 619** that stated that "The commanding officers must relieve themselves of command if their current mission leaves them emotionally compromised and unable to make rational decisions."

Thinking a bit he came up with another regulation that could serve him well should the admiral decide to be difficult and that was **Regulation 208 (paragraph 2)** that "Allows an active captain to override the orders of other officers."

And then there were one another that could serve him with Beverly's help and that were **Starfleet Order 104 Section C: **"Should it be proven with admissible evidence that the flag officer who had assumed command was medically or psychologically unfit for command, the starship's ranking officer could relieve them on that basis. However, such an action was required to be supported by an appropriate certification of unfitness by the ship's chief medical officer (requiring the CMO to also produce test results to that effect) or other clear evidence, such as an act of attempted suicide". And of course Beverly could easily use the medical protocols to that effect too - **Regulation 121 (Section A).**

He thought to himself – 'one can always find a relief in the bylaws of Starfleet.' He felt so as he was at unease of what he was about to do that went against all his instincts but the problem was he could not turn his back on Ella Brigham especially when he had the means to save her life even it involved some fancy maneuvering with the laws of the Federation and Starfleet.

"I thank you all for coming. As you all know Ella Brigham's life hangs in a balance because of a disease introduced by an alien species with the intent to harm the lives of Federation citizens and as such has been recognized as direct threat to Federation security by Admiral Brigham who as of this moment is in Command of the USS Enterprise under **Regulation 19 Section C**."

* * *

**And now**

Silence befell the ready room. The most surprised of all was Admiral Brigham. He quickly masked it of course. Picard was definitely full of surprises but that development made his day as he could enact his plan without any further resistance. He wondered though if the captain had really thought this through. This regulation gave the Admiral absolute authority to carry out his mission and in perfect legality.

"Thank you, Captain Picard," The Admiral stood up as everyone's eyes was turned in his direction. "I know this may appear a bit sudden to all of you however we are pressed for time and we must act immediately to neutralize this disease and threat to Federation security."

"What are your orders, Admiral?" Jean-Luc asked though he hoped the good admiral remembered that he made a deal with some conditions involved.

"My first order of business is Starfleet Transfer Regulation SFR-02-0933-3440 with which I am assigning Lt. Samuel Frex to the Enterprise as my first officer effective immediately."

Commander Will Riker was ready to protest but one look from his captain made him relax and accept it gracefully. Dr. Crusher noticed the exchange of looks and looked at Jean-Luc expectantly. He made her the sign saying 'later' so she relaxed too. Admiral Brigham being so excited did not notice this exchange.

"Commander Riker, please accept my apologies for this but I am sure you understand that I prefer to work with someone I do know even if only for the duration of this crisis. It is nothing personal against you or your record, which is impeccable."

"Of course, Admiral,"

"Excellent," Admiral Brigham said. He was grateful to his instincts for using the Enterprise as these officers were loyal but obedient of the laws and that spoke volumes. "Now I am assigning Commander Data and Commander LaForge to examine all possible ways for us to extract Ms. White from her surroundings without being detected in anyway by the 20th century probes, satellites or other means that could potentially spot us. Also, Dr. Crusher, I will need you to prepare sickbay for the blood transfusion and also the procedure for the memory wipe of Ms. White once it is done.

Commander Riker, I am assigning you temporarily to Chief of Security alongside your second in command Lt. Worf. Captain Picard, you will remain in command of the ship to any duties outside of the mission's parameters but I am also assigning him to overlook the procedures for time warp to ensure we arrive where we have to in the 20th century and back to the 24th. That would be all for now."

The Admiral thought this was only fair. "Oh, and have Lt. Frex report here."

"Yes, Admiral,"

* * *

Everyone left and resumed their duties while only Captain Picard, Commander Riker and Dr. Crusher headed elsewhere. He needed them to know the stakes of this gamble.

"Alright, Jean-Luc, what the hell is going on?" Beverly asked when they got into a room and secured it. "We have received no such directives from Starfleet. Is the admiral out of his mind? Are you?"

"All valid questions, Beverly." Jean-Luc said raising hands defensively. "The truth is we can't ignore the possibility of saving Ella's life when we have the means to achieve it. Also it is possible the Admiral is right about Starfleet and we can all attest to that with **Special Order 48666.**"

"This is highly unlikely." Beverly protested.

"True but we can't take the risk until we have the whole picture." Commander Riker interjected.

"The truth is I don't quite trust the admiral to relinquish command if push comes to shove. " Jean-Luc said voicing one of his fears.

"Then why give him the power to do what he wants?" Beverly asked.

"So we do have an excuse," Commander Riker answered.

"That's right, Number One." Jean-Luc nodded. "Also I have left out a few regulations that can restore my command very easily."

"Not mention, the admiral knows he doesn't have absolute authority hence the reason he is threading carefully." Riker added.

"This is all well but it doesn't justify your actions." Beverly said. "We are in a willful violation of Starfleet's regulations. This should have been reported immediately."

"Again true if it were not for the possibility the admiral could be right and that is a risk at this point that I am not prepared to take." Jean-Luc countered.

"You are playing a dangerous game, Jean-Luc, with everyone's future."

"Saving a life, Doctor, is not a game. It is duty, our solemn duty to help those in need."

"We can't always foresee the complications of laws."

"I will be sure to write that down on your tombstone, Commander." Beverly countered.

"Ok, enough with the speech combat," Jean-Luc interfered before it escalates into a debate they did not have the time for. "All I am saying is we should be careful with him. He has the innate ability to piss anyone. I watched him once force the Vulcans to leave a meeting feeling extremely emotional about his bitty remarks."

"Well that explains everything." Beverly remarked.

"Will, make sure Lt. Worf remembers his loyalties and Starfleet regulations should the worse take over."

"No worries now that I am chief of security."

"Let's do this right and come back in one piece." Jean-Luc said. "And then we will deal with the validity of his actions. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Beverly ceded. She was not very happy about this development but accepted the reason of Jean-Luc's strange decision. She of course had the feeling that as usual plan A never works and something was bound to give up and throw their plans straight out of the airlock but took a deep breath and got back to sickbay to prepare for the next phase.

* * *

Lt. Frex could not believe the admiral's luck with the current development. He had always dreamed of being in command of a big starship but he would have never imagined that would be the Enterprise, the flagship of Starfleet.

He had brought to the admiral his granddaughter's stasis pod with him. He also brought the time tracker. The admiral was extremely pleased with it. All was proceeding according to plan even better than projected. Of course they had to remain vigilant as there were still many things that could go wrong.

He would have also preferred to have some of his old crew under him and not the current ones but it is what it is. He had to make it work in the most effortless way possible. It was not time to raise suspicions when they were this close to executing the general plan.

He made a quick check of all the resources now at his disposal and was pleasantly surprised of the efficiency with which this ship was run (even by the previous first officer). He knew of Commander Riker but never had the pleasure of meeting him or working with him. He understood the admiral made his chief of security for the duration of the mission along with Lieutenant Worf as second in command.

The Enterprise was definitely the flag ship of the fleet. It was not the strongest or the most powerful but it was the best. It was the perfect mix between these two qualities with one of the best crews in the Federation as a whole. It would be his privilege and honor to work with them. And he intended to be more of his best to prove that the admiral's trust in him was well placed.

The Admiral gathered the command staff in the briefing room to outline the plan to save his granddaughter's life in greater details. He was certain that there would be a few objections to his rather direct approach but to his surprise the crew only contributed to the points of the plan that needed clarification.

"Alright then," Admiral Brigham said. "Let's get to work."

The command crew left the briefing room only Lt. Frex remained. He believed the admiral needed to control better his emotions on this one as there was a regulation that could easily take away his command. He shared his opinion with the admiral who took the note and sent him to oversee the preparations.

* * *

Several days later, the Enterprise was ready for the time warp jump. The time tracker had extrapolated the exact location of the target – Carrie White. Everyone was surprised of the accuracy with which this machine worked with little to no information.

"Commander LaForge, are we ready?" Admiral Brigham asked.

"Yes, Admiral, all systems are nominal. Engines are ready for time warp acceleration."

"Excellent, "Admiral Brigham could almost taste success. "Commander Data, set course and engage to warp factor 6."

"Yes, Admiral," Commander Data executed the order with precision and Enterprise was on the move.

"Approaching target star," Lt. Frex announced.

"Begin approach,"

The Enterprise moved in orbital approach for a slingshot maneuver.

"Increase speed to warp factor 9."

"Warp factor 9 in seven seconds," Commander Data informed. "Warp 9 attained, increasing to maximum velocity. Calculating trajectory and we are set for time warp."

"Time warp in three, two, one," Commander LaForge confirmed.

The ship engaged its powerful engines and executed the maneuver perfectly thus emerging on the other side of the star moments later.

"Report,"

"We have emerged successfully from the time jump." Lt. Frex said. "Checking coordinates," There was a small pause. "Coordinates are verified. Time coordinates check out. We have arrived in the late 20th century. The year is 1979 May 08th early in the morning."

"It is as accurate as it can get. Set course for Earth, maximum sustainable warp."

"Yes, Admiral,"

The Enterprise readjusted its course and jumped to warp straight back to Earth. It took them 14 days to reach Earth. They had a few days to spare and prepare for the snatching operation. The Admiral wanted them to practice it in such a way that would not arouse the suspicions of anyone let alone the local authorities. Their presence must have a minimum contact with the locals hence the reason the Enterprise was parked outside of Earth's orbit to avoid any unnecessary sightings however remote a possibility that could be.

When all the details were ironed down to the last detail they waited for the precise time and that was May 28th 1979 near midnight. The Admiral only hoped that they are not going to notice all the disturbances Ms. White would create in the meantime. He needed them focused on one task only.

And finally the wait was over and the shuttle headed for the preset coordinates. The ambulance appeared. They flew over it and the crew beamed in and it happened just as he had read it in the temporal report.

* * *

Carrie White was then beamed directly to the ship's sickbay where Dr. Crusher got to work in extracting her blood and transfusing it to Ella Brigham. Everything was proceeding according to plan and the admiral could barely contain his enthusiasm. But nothing truly happens according to plan even one so meticulously rehearsed.

"Sickbay to bridge," Dr. Crusher called. "There is someone here who would like to say hello."

The Admiral bolted from the bridge straight to sickbay. His heart was pounding and beating faster than the speed of sound. He reached it minutes later and then stopped in his tracks. From one of the biobeds, his precious little gem stood eyes wide opened and somewhat confused but positively beaming with gratitude and joy.

"Grandfather?"

"Ella," Tears found their way out and down his cheeks. He was so happy. He was ecstatic that it worked.

"How?"

"The one next to you is Carrie. Her blood saved you."

Ella Brigham eyed the biobed next to her where her ancestor lied peacefully. She was grateful to this sudden change of her situation. She was told over and over that there is no cure but her grandfather never gave up hope and now she was up and about and the disease was gone. She could again enjoy the sun, the stars, her friends (hoping they were still around), the sky, the holodeck and all that life had to offer.

The two jumped into each other's embrace. They were so happy and that's why they did not see it coming. Suddenly the doors slammed closed with terrible force. The lights trembled and flickered.

"Who are you?"

* * *

**To be continued…**

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Star Trek and all its characters belong to Paramount Pictures. Carrie belongs to author Stephen King but the words are mine. The characters of the Four Orders (FO)* are entirely my own.

* * *

Requested Story by T-Rex-1000

**AU/ST/Carrie/FO*: Admiral Brigham enacts a desperate plan to save the life of his granddaughter, enlisting the help of Starfleet captain: Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise under false pretense and no matter the cost. But the price comes too high…**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**Previously:**

"Sickbay to bridge," Dr. Crusher called. "There is someone here who would like to say hello."

The Admiral bolted from the bridge straight to sickbay. His heart was pounding and beating faster than the speed of sound. He reached it minutes later and then stopped in his tracks. From one of the biobeds, his precious little gem stood eyes wide opened and somewhat confused but positively beaming with gratitude and joy.

"Grandfather?"

"Ella," Tears found their way out and down his cheeks. He was so happy. He was ecstatic that it worked.

"How?"

"The one next to you is Carrie. Her blood saved you."

Ella Brigham eyed the biobed next to her where her ancestor lied peacefully. She was grateful to this sudden change of her situation. She was told over and over that there is no cure but her grandfather never gave up hope and now she was up and about and the disease was gone. She could again enjoy the sun, the stars, her friends (hoping they were still around), the sky, the holodeck and all that life had to offer.

The two jumped into each other's embrace. They were so happy and that's why they did not see it coming. Suddenly the doors slammed closed with terrible force. The lights trembled and flickered.

"Who are you?"

**And now:**

* * *

Admiral Brigham and his granddaughter stood in stupor at the person that said that. And that was Carrie White. She looked around incredulously, panic obvious in her eyes.

"I am …" John Brigham began saying.

"John Brigham," Carrie said and looking at Ella continued. "Ella Brigham,"

"Why did the sedation fail, Doctor?" John Brigham turned to Dr. Crusher keeping his cool.

"The sedation worked perfectly, Admiral."

"And yet she's awake."

Dr. Crusher at this moment could not say why the sedation wore off so quickly. She had to run more tests on the subject.

"Beverly Crusher," Carrie continued as everything around continued to shake.

"Relax, Ms. White. You are safe." Dr. Crusher tried to calm her down finally realizing it was Carrie behind the current occurrences.

"I do not feel safe, Beverly Crusher." She said, no, shouted.

Dr. Crusher tried reaching her so she can administer another sedative but Carrie did not let her as she slammed her into the wall.

"What is this place?" Carrie asked but almost immediately had her answer. "A ship in the stars, that is not possible." She shook head as this was overwhelming. How was this possible? The best anyone could pull was a space shuttle that went as far as the moon. But the steps and voices she could sense moved from above, beneath and around her.

No space shuttle was this big. What was this place? Who built it? Utopia Planitia of Mars – WHAT? What was that? Mars, that was not possible either. Who were these people? Or worse, was this how hell looked like? Was it a place where the impossible lived only to torment her? Arrg, she will not give in or up so easily. She would rather destroy this place then allow it to swallow her into this madness.

"Please, Carrie, relax," Ella said approaching her ancestor. "You are onboard the Federation starship USS Enterprise."

"Federation? I am on a Canadian ship?"

"No," Ella shook head and smiled. "It is the United Federation of Planets. It has thousands of worlds all across half the galaxy."

"Planets?" Carrie exclaimed even more confused. "Aliens?"

"Everyone is an alien to another depending on the point of view and the planet."

"ETs then?"

Ella looked at her questioningly as she did not get the reference.

"Extraterrestrials?"

"Oh," Ella understood. "Yes, I suppose you could call it that."

"Are you an ET?"

"No," Ella shook head. "But we have many onboard. And you can see them but just calm down."

"You will show them to me?"

"No, she won't." Admiral Brigham intervened before things get out of hand. He quickly realized the error of this as he joined Beverly at the wall. "Stop this immediately, put me down."

* * *

Suddenly, Jean-Luc Picard and a security team materialized inside sickbay thus startling Carrie a great deal but she reacted instinctively dodging the weird ray that came out of the strange device in the hand of the craziest costume she had ever seen.

"Mr. Worf!" Jean-Luc exclaimed. "Holster your phaser!"

"But sir, she's…"

"Now, Mr. Worf,"

"Yes, Captain," Worf put it away.

"My apologies, Ms. White," Jean-Luc said. "Would you mind releasing my doctor and Admiral Brigham and I will be happy to explain the situation."

Carrie looked at him and relaxed a bit. His words were well measured and soothing. It was something she felt she could trust but the situation was way too militant for her to do so. The crazy costume was looking at her with great ferocity.

"Mr. Worf, would you mind turning around?" Jean-Luc said as he noticed her apprehension.

"Captain?"

"Please, Mr. Worf,"

Worf grunted muttering something in Klingon but obeyed the captain.

"There,"

Carrie eyed the captain and then the back of the crazy costume. She wanted him gone but realized she was keeping the doors shut hence the weird appearance. Now that she came to think of it how did they get here?

"How did you do that?"

"I could tell you but explaining it will take more time." Jean-Luc replied relieved her focus has shifted back to him.

"Captain Jean-Luc Picard, this is French?"

"Yes, it is." Jean-Luc replied. "My Doctor?"

"Ah, what, oh, yes," Carrie said and released Dr. Crusher but left the admiral. "So explain? Where am I?"

"You are in the sickbay onboard the Federation starship USS Enterprise."

"There is no such ship or shuttle."

"Yes," Jean-Luc was considering what to tell her. "You are correct. There are no starships at this time but there is a naval ship USS Enterprise."

"What do you mean this time?" Carrie asked perplexed and then she got her answer. "You are…you are from…the future, the 24th century?"

Jean-Luc was also a bit perplexed as to how she reached that conclusion given that she did not know or could possibly know. There was nothing in sickbay that could give away such information.

"Is this the only starship that exists in the future?" Carrie asked.

Jean-Luc continued to consider carefully his answer. Exposing a citizen of the 20th century to knowledge of the future was not a good idea, not to mention a dangerous one.

"I may be from this century but I am not stupid."

And then Jean-Luc had his answer. There was nothing in sickbay that could give her this knowledge but there was – them. She was telepathic and also most certainly telekinetic. That was something that Admiral Brigham had failed to mention otherwise they would taken very different precautions. Of course it was possible the Admiral did not know.

"So he brought you here?" Carrie asked and turned her attention to the Admiral with flames in her eyes.

"Yes, you were the only one who could save his granddaughter from a very rare form of blood disease." Jean-Luc answered. "She's your descendant!"

"My – what?" Carrie looked back at Jean-Luc. That was not possible as she had never been pregnant, as far as she knew. Of course, her mother might have done something awful to her but no, she would know if she had been.

"On the cousin's side," Ella interjected.

'Ah, that explains it.' Carrie thought and relaxed relieved that she had not missed something so important and disturbing.

Now she wondered what their plan was but looking at the Admiral she quickly got the picture. So that was their plan – use her and then dump her with no memory of this every happening but they thought wrong.

'Wait!' Carrie dug deep into his memories. 'What was that? I was dead.' And then she remembered the events that led to that. Her so-called best friend had made a mess and she left her a gift to remember for years to come, and then she died.

'But no,' apparently she was not that dead. These strange people were able to revive her and bring her aboard to do a blood transfusion and safe Ella's life. But then they were going to rearrange her memories and return her back where they found her. Would that mean that intended to make her dead again? So that she could die for real? If that was so they were deadly wrong as she would not go down that easily.

The admiral began to feel the pressure of her powers and it was increasing in strength. He looked helplessly at Ella and then at Jean-Luc hoping he would do something about this before it was too late to do anything.

"Ms. White," Jean-Luc called.

"NO!" Carrie shouted back. "I will not let you put me back so that I can die for good."

"Wait – what?" Jean-Luc looked at her incredulously. He then looked at the Admiral and frowned. "ADMIRAL! Explain yourself!"

"I would watch my tone, Captain Picard." Admiral Brigham said though with difficulty.

"Grandfather?" Ella turned to him. She could not believe that this was ever an option.

John Brigham did not enjoy the way things were developing. That little girl has managed in a single sentence to turn both Jean-Luc and his granddaughter against him. The little brat needed to be put back where she belongs. Sadly the very thought of that increased his agony.

"Admiral Brigham," Jean-Luc said. "I would strongly suggest that you answer me!"

John Brigham definitely wanted to put Jean-Luc in his place but remembered that this is his ship and the crew will obey the captain. And he had gone a bit too far with his previous comment.

* * *

He sighed deeply. He had no choice now but to say it. "It was the only window in which we could get her. And she was nearly dead, not completely."

"But she would have been as the doctors of the time would not have picked it up." Dr. Crusher observed.

"I was heading for the morgue?" Carrie said with increasing hate in her voice.

"Admiral?"

"Yes, it was a dirge vehicle."

"Why did you not inform us of this?" Jean-Luc asked.

"I did not tell you because then you would not have helped."

"You have put this ship and its crew in a very precarious situation, Admiral. You should have told us everything. Our directives exist for a reason."

"Your directives can go to hell, Captain." Brigham exclaimed. "The only thing that had any importance and any value is the life of my granddaughter. Everything else can go to hell!"

"Mr. Worf, let it be known in the ship's logs, that as of this moment, under regulation 619 of the Starfleet charter, I am relieving Admiral Brigham from command of the Enterprise."

"That is hanging on whether I will give up command, Captain, and I am not."

"Admiral, you are in violation of the Temporal Prime Directive…"

"And so are you, Captain,"

"This has gone far enough." Beverly joined the conversation. "Admiral John Brigham, under Protocol 121, Section A! I'm hereby reliving you of command."

"Under what pretext doctor?"

"You are medically unfit for command. You are behavior is erratic and borderline psychotic. You will undergo psychological evaluation."

"You are insane!"

"Sorry, Admiral but in terms of health, my authority supersedes yours!" Beverly said. "Mr. Worf, remove the admiral from the wall and put him in the brig pending the evaluation."

"And the investigation," Jean-Luc added. "Also, be so kind to remove Mr. Frex from command and put him next to the admiral. "

"Yes, Captain,"

* * *

The admiral tried to resist and that made things worse for him but Lt. Worf overpowered him with ease and took him out of sickbay.

"Please, accept our apologies for this situation, Ms. White." Jean-Luc turned back to Carrie who had released the admiral following this development. "We were not aware of your predicament at the time."

"And if you were you…" Carrie did not finish the sentence and then shook head. "You wouldn't have come."

"It is not that simple. But we would have definitely taken a different approach."

"So what happens now? You will put me back. I am not going back."

"Don't you have a family that we can take you to?"

"By now, they will all be relieved that I am dead."

"She has a point, Captain." Beverly interjected. "Returning her now would be condemning her to death."

"What other option will you give me, Doctor?"

"I can come with you. There is nothing for me here anymore."

"We could do that." Beverly said.

"It is not that simple."

"Yes, it is, Jean-Luc. By the records of the time, she's dead. She will not be missed. History will not be affected."

"I will need some time to think this one over." Jean-Luc said. He was not keen on making a decision on the spot. There were many implications for such an action. Despite of the evidence that Ms. White is considered dead in her time, removing her simply from it and thrusting her into the future was a delicate decision. He needed to consider all options before making this decision. "Ms. White! Please, remain in sickbay so Doctor Crusher can make a full medical examination and tomorrow I will let you know of my decision."

"Sure," Carrie replied hopeful.

* * *

Meanwhile in the brig, Admiral Brigham was fuming. He pissed beyond belief. Lt. Frex sitting next to him was keeping quiet. He knew that when the admiral is angered it is best not to say anything.

When the admiral calmed down a bit he decided to ask. "What went wrong?"

"Ella and Picard both played in her devious little sentence. That's what happened." The admiral replied.

Lt. Frex remained silent though he wished he knew what the admiral was talking about as he was not there and he had no way of knowing what the sentence was. Fortunately, the admiral shared.

"Did you know that she is telepathic and telekinetic?" Lt. Frex asked following the logic of the described situation.

"No, I didn't. If I did I would have taken a very different approach. She would have been so bloody sedated it would have been easy to confuse it with being dead. But those powers surprised me. At first I wondered how was she guessing so quickly but then it became self evident."

"And I imagine the other part was also self evident?"

"You imagine correctly."

"So what now?"

"We still have an advantage."

"Which is?"

"Picard gave me the ship under a very specific regulation and one that entitles that he believes our cover story. So he will not contact Starfleet."

"Yes, but your ancestor can spoil that."

"On the contrary, she will sell it. You and I need to be on the same page before they arrive to continue this charade."

* * *

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Star Trek and all its characters belong to Paramount Pictures. Carrie belongs to author Stephen King but the words are mine. *The characters of the Four Orders (FO) are entirely my own.**

* * *

Requested Story by T-Rex-1000

**AU/ST/Carrie/FO*: Admiral Brigham enacts a desperate plan to save the life of his granddaughter, enlisting the help of Starfleet captain: Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise under false pretense and no matter the cost. But the price comes too high…**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Ella Brigham could barely hold her enthusiasm of being alive and free of the disease. She was eager to rejoin life on the ship and anywhere else as the ship had returned back to the 24th century with her ancestor onboard.

Captain Picard had decided to grant Ms. White passage back with them as she had nothing to live for in her time. She was already deemed dead. Of course, that was weird. Ella felt for Carrie nothing but love and deep understanding given that she had nearly joined her in the afterlife.

The two became friends quickly. Carrie seemed a bit closed up but given the horrific experiences Ella could understand. Still she was there for her every step of the way as she had a lot to learn and catch up in order to blend in this new for her time. Many things have changed since her time.

Carrie absorbed eagerly everything Ella was teaching her. She only had a problem with the manner of life on the ship. It was difficult to adapt to a ship full primarily of scientists. She needed to find a hobby or a job. The other difficult for her concept was the absence of remuneration and of money.

The whole idea of working for the benefit of humanity and the Federation was noble at its heart but it did not quite explain how one gets a place to live and what kind of furniture one could get for that, and how much replicator use.

Speaking of the replicator, this was the other shock. She could not believe that the people of this century ate essentially recycled food or that they drank synthetic alcohol with no actual alcohol in it. Of course there were many other benefits to this future she got herself into but still she missed the real food and drinks.

* * *

The first few weeks they spent in sickbay where Dr. Crusher ran test after test on both of them in order to determine that for Ella there were no unintended side effects, and for Carrie that she could actually survive in the future and not bring some bug from the past.

Dr. Crusher administered on Carrie many vaccines and other shots to make the transition from her century to this one but mostly to ensure that she can live in space. That was the other weird thing to get used to. Despite the misery of a life that she had, she had the outdoors, the smell of roses, the warmth of the sun, the luxury of day and night. And in space it was always night.

How these people had managed to get accustomed to day and night when it was always dark was beyond her. Her biological clock kept getting it wrong hence she was either sleeping during what they considered the day or waking during the night. The lack of general direction in space was also something nearly impossible for her to wrap her mind around especially when she was seeing people on the hull of the ship walking upside down.

She had many panic attacks because of it, which Dr. Crusher had learnt very quickly to counter given that she tended to break or throw things whenever it happened. It was a very weird sensation that she could not control until the day the captain taught her how.

It was the most unorthodox manner of doing so. He came to her quarters with a proposal for an outside mission and she eagerly accepted. They arrived near an airlock and Carrie became instantly apprehensive but Ella was with her so she had relaxed a bit.

They put her in an EVA suit and explained to her how to breathe and activate the magnetic boots. Ella took her by the hand and they entered the airlock, which was then depressurized and they ventured outside into the void.

"Come on! Do not be afraid." Ella said soothingly. "Grab that bar."

Carrie followed her instructions and they soon found themselves on the hull. Panic started to overpower her.

"Ms. White, relax." The captain told her. "Keep your eyes on the hull and ignore everything else. Just the hull."

Carrie followed that instruction and instantly her view changed. She tried very hard not to think that she was actually upside down.

"There is no up and down." Ella said.

This surprised Carrie a lot. It appeared that Ella was a bit like her. 'How do you know what I am thinking?' Carrie asked.

'I can hear you.' The mental reply came. 'Strangely and thankfully for now I can only hear you.'

'Did you have this ability before?'

'I am not sure, maybe, but at the time I was so afraid of the disease and I did spend some part of my life in stasis and on tubes so I did not really have the time to explore it.'

'I am sorry. I am glad you are alright.'

'Yes, thanks to you,'

'Can we talk this way all the time?'

'It will not be polite towards the others but when we are alone I have nothing against it.'

'Are you reading only my surface thoughts or can you go deeper?'

'I don't know. I have not tried but now it is not the time.' Ella replied. 'Look, you are doing well. Let's go to the captain.'

* * *

Carrie was somewhat relieved that Ella could not read deeper than her surface thoughts otherwise she would need Dr. Crusher more than she did. Truthfully, Carrie did not want her to go there either. She liked her. And her subconscious was no place for such nice girl. That place was dark and ominous and contained painful and horrible memories. It also contained her darkness.

Ever since she came to this new time she had been considering what to do about her dark impulses. She had to find an outlet before she starts to hurt people. She had a lot of suppressed hatred and anger in general for the life she had been living. The tip of the iceberg came from her so-called friends that played the cruelest prank imaginable – pig's blood. She got so angry in that moment of utter humiliation that she unleashed her darkness.

The problem was that she liked what followed. She truthfully enjoyed hurting and killing all these people and while guilt did reach her she was near death's door. So she did not really have the time to process these complex emotional experiences. And as she came here she continued to have this problem as she had spent her focus on learning things and adapting to this crazy new society.

She had to find a way to deal with them. She has not shared that with the others as she was not exactly sure how they would react. And she liked these people though at times their manner of doing things was driving her crazy. Adapting to people being generally mean to generally outgoing, honest, and amicable had been one of the most difficult transitions she had to endure.

* * *

Her best ally so far had been her grand, grand, grand, grand something niece Ella. Carrie was unsure how she would have made this progress without her. Of course there were other telepathic beings onboard but she was not compatible with them and of course they were ETs and she was still not very comfortable with that.

The only two 'aliens' she got along with were Lt. Worf and Counselor Troi. Of course her second meeting with Lt. Worf became very awkward when she accused the captain of making a prank with keeping the charade of the weirdly dressed and costumed alien. That earned her a lot of weird looks from the crew as apparently no one has ever dared to call a Klingon an oddly dressed costumed and masked alien.

When she attempted to remove the 'mask' she finally understood that he's indeed an ET and not some poorly dressed guy. She had to apologize quite a lot afterwards but weirdly enough Worf not only showed understanding but also forgave her for lack of knowledge as he said that is perfectly normal for a human that just discovered an entire galaxy full of alien life. And that was one of the most maddening things she had experienced. She could not get where they found this fountain of good mood and positive thinking.

The level of tolerance on this ship and in general was something that was very alien to her as her society had so many definitions that the lack of it threw her off and she made many mistakes that everyone continued to forgive making her feel even more awkward that she already felt.

Counselor Troi, she met her for the first time when she left sickbay and was given her own quarters. The captain took her to her. Carrie had difficult time believing that the woman was an alien as she looked so human. But as it was explained there were many humanoid civilizations in the Federation and while they looked like her their physiology was different.

Counselor Troi surprised her a lot. At first she was afraid she was like her - a telepathic but as it turned out she was an empath. She got the fear the first time as most of what she was thinking at the time the counselor used. Since then she learnt that empaths can sense emotions that are sometimes linked to thoughts. Still, counselor Troi was very patient with her and did not push her in any way. She was just as curious about her way of life as she was for theirs.

That helped in building a bridge between them and that bridge grew into acquaintance. Carrie also had to learn the hard way that most people saw her as an acquaintance at best as they had to maintain a working and respectful relationship with the guests on the ship. So the only friend that she had onboard was Ella.

* * *

Carrie knew that she had to change that. She had to build friendships but she was also cautious about it as the last time she tried it she ended up covered from head to toe with pig's blood and she was not eager at all to repeat that experience. Of course the people here were nothing like the ones in her time but still trust is something built over time and right she was very mistrustful.

She had accepted Ella as her friend – one because she was blood and two because there was no one else that took such good care of her. Her grandfather, the weird and despicable admiral, was shipped out the moment they returned to this time.

Apparently the good admiral expected that his ruse that the Federation had been compromised was going to continue to work on the captain but he had misjudged him and mostly because Carrie read his mind where she discovered a careful selection of thoughts that might have worked on someone from his century but not on her and so he was shipped back to Earth for a court martial. Thankfully Ella remained onboard on the insistence of the captain and his doctor.

The problem with forming relationships onboard a starship however was the constant rotation of jobs and transfers to other ships and star bases. She tried a few times to make friends but they were reassigned to other decks and ships, and bases. That put a setback on the plans for friendships. She then decided that these friendships had to be with the command crew and they were not exactly her age range.

The other problem was finding a common ground with anyone and that led to the realization that she needed to find something to do on this ship. She did not want to do the science thing as she learnt that she had to go to the academy for that and this was not ideal for her. But she did learn of many other outlets and jobs that civilians did onboard that did not require this form of qualification but she had yet to choose a direction.

* * *

"Carrie," She heard Ella's voice and that took her away from her thoughts.

She noticed that they have reached an area where she remembered was the ship's communication array.

"Look. Isn't it beautiful?"

For the first time she dared to look at the stars and found that while she could still see the rest of the ship it did not bother her so much being upside down in relation to it.

Ella was right. It was beautiful.

"Yes, it is." Carrie said and enjoyed the view. "Thank you, Captain. Thank you, Ella!"

"It is my pleasure, Ms. White."

Carrie was indeed grateful that the captain took out of his time to help out. She knew how busy the man was and that was one very big gesture. Of course she imagined the captain viewed that as public service despite being so personal. She was not sure he did that for anyone but she was a special case.

At first Starfleet wanted the captain to transport her to Starfleet headquarters and to reassign her away from the flagship of Starfleet. But the captain fought on her behalf and she remained onboard. She did not know under what conditions as the captain did not share these details with her. He had only told her not to worry and that she belonged with them, and 'leave it there'. She was tempted at the time to peek in his mind but she was so grateful that the moment passed.

The other thing that she had to learn was how to control her telepathic ability and counselor Troi helped a lot with that. She had to learn to control her desire to peek inside anyone's head and that had been difficult. It was tempting but Counselor Troi convinced her easily with a few life examples and she got the message. She learnt quickly how to block people's thoughts as it got out of hand – the noise of unfiltered thoughts and was beginning to overwhelm her senses.

* * *

"Can Carrie come with us on the next planet?" Ella asked yet again turning Carrie away from her thoughts.

"Of course," Captain Picard replied. "I think that would be beneficial for her. She's not used to being in space for so long."

"Did you hear?" Ella asked excitedly.

"I heard, thank you!"

"Good, it is time we returned back inside." Captain Picard said and led the way.

"We are not going back the way we came?" Carrie asked.

"No, we will use the other entrance just over there."

"Cool!" Ella exclaimed.

Carrie smiled. Ella was a bundle of joy and excitement at pretty much anything. She could understand why. Being tied up to a bed for so long gave her now the excuse to fully embrace anything in life with nothing but joy and relief that she no longer has to see that biobed again but of course that had also its drawbacks.

The girl barely slept and came to her quarters often and while Carrie had become tired Ella was still full of energy and could probably run a few laps around the ship before showing any signs of being tired. Carrie had gotten used to that at some point.

They reached the airlock and got out of their suits. Carrie was happy to be again inside the ship though she did like the walk outside. Of course it was not what she expected when the captain came to her headquarters.

The captain big them goodbye as he returned to his duty while she and Ella decided to go to Ten Forward. That was one of their favorite places. She did not meet though its usual owner a woman named Guinan as she had learnt that she had left the ship prior to them going for her for some personal reasons. Still she liked the place a lot as it had the best view.

It was also the area where the crew liked to unwind from their duties other than on the holodecks. She came to like them too. Especially the first time she visited when Ella recreated in it some obscure movie from the 1930s and they participated as characters. That was one of the weirdest experiences for her. But since then she had come to like it. That way she could visit many places and planets without actually having to go there.

* * *

Her focus returned to Ten Forward as Ella had gotten out of the replicator a large Sunday Surprise (that was one of Counselor Troi's favorites too).

"Again?" Carrie asked.

"What?" Ella asked back innocently.

"Didn't Counselor Troi use that only she's feeling down?"

"Well that's her way. I liked it the way I want."

"Overly excited bundle of…" And the two laughed. It was good to laugh again.

"Check that out." Ella said turning her gaze to the furthest table.

Carrie followed her gaze and logically it fell on men. Ever since she got out of that pod she has been attacking the opposite sex quite ferociously. Carrie could understand the appeal but she was not ready for that yet. Still she did throw a look every now and then.

She did look again and this time noticed one guy. She had seen him only in passing in Engineering. The reason she remembered this one was because she could not read him for some reason. And the reason she wanted to probe his mind was because she did not like him for some reason. It was something in his demeanor that she found intimidating. Of course she did not have the time to stop and probe him.

"Oh, he's a cutie." Ella observed having followed her gaze. "He works on the lower decks."

"What does he do?" Carrie asked as Ella was on top of every gossip column.

"He's dealing with fixing the communication arrays and the one next to him is the security officer in charge of the lower decks." Ella explained. "He's unattainable for the ladies."

"Why is he married? Or is he gay? Or eunuch?"

"Oh, no, he's single and straight as far as I know. But the girls say he has a mysterious aura around him."

"And that's what makes him unattainable?" Carrie exclaimed. "You people have a weird sometimes point of view about things."

"It is not weird." Ella protested. "Mystery men are tantalizing and we like to keep them that way. It is always good to have some mystery left."

"Really," Carrie found this argument ridiculous. "If you do not even attempt then how would you know? How would you know if he's good for it or not? I mean for you know he's not good at all or it is small it is barely noticeable. "

"Oh, come on, I doubt that."

"Well, go and find out."

"Aren't you interested?" Ella said. "Oh, I have seen you sneak a peek at some of the guys."

"Well, it is perfectly natural but no, I am not interested."

"Come on - why not?"

"I will tell you another time."

"Okay,"

"Let's go down to the holodecks. Crewman Hanson said there will be a party."

"Agreed,"

They left for the holodecks and Carrie threw one last look at the table with the mysterious guy and the undesirable one making a mental note to check them out later. Fortunately for them they did not notice the increased interest about them from the newest resident on Enterprise.

* * *

**And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!**

**Lordheaven**


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Star Trek and all its characters belong to Paramount Pictures. Carrie belongs to author Stephen King but the words are mine. The characters of the Four Orders (FO*) are entirely my own.

* * *

Requested Story by T-Rex-1000

**AU/ST/Carrie/FO*: Admiral Brigham enacts a desperate plan to save the life of his granddaughter, enlisting the help of Starfleet captain: Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise under false pretense and no matter the cost. But the price comes too high…**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

**Stardate 43822.2 (28.10.2366)**

The sun rose bathing the hills of the tropical jungles of Risa in a soft golden light. The air around was filled with the tender sweet aroma of strange plants and flowers that brought the morning freshness anyone would need to enjoy a beautiful and peaceful day on the best tropical resort in the entire Federation.

Located just 90 light years from Earth, Risa was and still is the most popular tourist destination in the Federation for R&R that Federation citizens and Starfleet personnel enjoyed when the need for rest becomes unbearable. It is not that their lives are not interesting but having duties all the time takes its toll.

And this is where Ella took Carrie so she can escape the dreary life of the Enterprise. Not to mention that her ancestor needed it more than the others as she was not used to living on a ship or spending extended periods of time in space. After all, Carrie's world changed drastically when she joined the 24th century.

Carrie truly enjoyed the change of scenery because even though the holodecks were able to recreate any environment it was not the same thing as the real deal. She ran like a crazy person on the beaches of Suraya Bay that seemed to go on forever. The water felt slightly weird but was much appreciated because of the fresh sensation of proper wetness.

The other guests noticed her but quickly returned to their sunbathing. Every day there was at least one person acting out of character but that something normal here so no one paid that much attention to the crazy human.

Carrie savored the moment running on the golden warm sand. She did even while running throw a strange look here and there as the variety of aliens here was bigger than that on the ship and it took her some time to get accustomed to the sight. But seeing how everyone ignored her and her oddness she managed to relax something she found difficult for the past two months.

Living on a starship was definitely a challenge. She was not sure she wanted to keep doing it. While she was sure that eventually she would find something to do on it, she missed the sun and the ground. Actually she craved for it more than she was willing to admit. Perhaps it was the need for the simplest things – day and night.

* * *

Ella waited for her in their shack situated near the Bay but still far enough from prying eyes (not that there were many but still). She had her fill of the wonders of Risa. While Carrie was having fun on the beach, Ella visited the subterranean caves with the luminescent plants. She had been there before with her mother when she was much younger and the sight was still beyond description even now.

Ella had returned from the caves and Carrie had still not come. Ella was not worried though as she was certain Carrie will spend a lot of time on the beach. It was very long and had lots of bars. Of course, Ella would have preferred to go with her just to ensure Carrie doesn't ingest something she would later regret but she had to leave her to live the experience herself.

Ella also wanted the privacy to check on her grandfather. She did not approve of the way he acted even though it saved her life. The principals of the Federation while sometimes rigid existed for a reason and abandoning them even for such a noble cause was not ok. Still she loved her grandfather a lot and wanted him to be part of her life however difficult that would be now.

Admiral Brigham's face had lit up when she called. They talked for what seemed to be hours and strangely enough they allowed him to do so. He loved hearing about her time on the Enterprise and the time she was spending with her ancestor (even though she was the reason he was in jail right now but he had no one but himself to blame for that).

"Where is Carrie now?"

"I left her on the beaches of Suraya Bay. She loves it!"

"I'll bet." The admiral knew what joy those beaches are. His sentiment was not only for the joy Carrie was having but also one for him as he couldn't be there too. "Still, you must not leave her all by herself. While Risa is a wonderful place one must never forget the lessons of the past."

"She can take care of herself."

"That is what I am afraid of." Admiral Brigham shared. He needed to remind his granddaughter that while she was having a cool time with Carrie, Carrie was from another century and customs have somewhat changed over the years. "She's not used to our ways yet. Her time was much more violent and aggressive. And she may read into a situation more than it is actually meant and her reaction may be appropriate more for her time than ours. I would not want to cut your stay their short."

"Oh," Ella exclaimed. "I did not think of that."

"That is ok, Ella. Just do not forget, you were both raised in different times. And while you may get along just fine, you were still very different one from another."

"I will go find her then." Ella truly did not take this into consideration.

"I had a blast talking with you!"

"I will call again."

"See you, Ella!"

"Goodbye, grandfather,"

* * *

Ella left the shack and headed for the beach. She needed to find Carrie before any of her grandfather's grim predications came to life. She asked around and got her trail. Soon she located her on one of the bars enjoying a deliciously looking dish of sea food.

"Oh, hey, Ella, come join me!" Carrie called seeing her.

"I see you found lunch."

"I thought you would spend your time in the shack."

"Yeah, I thought so too but what the heck, we have not come here to stay indoors."

"That's the spirit."

They ate in silence while enjoying the sights around them. Every now and then a Nuvian masseuse would come offering her services but politely refused as there is no joy in eating and getting a massage at the same time. Sometimes the Risians did not know when to stop.

"How did you find me so quickly?" Carrie asked as she had spent much time running on this beach and when she thought of Ella or anyone else eventually looking for her she did not know how they would be able to find her.

Ella told her she simply asked around.

"One would not have considered that for people that ignore you and mind their own business they are actually a very observant bunch."

"Well, you do stand out!" Ella chuckled.

"I suppose I do." Carrie had to admit as she was nearly the only one acting that way. She was like a child that has never seen sand or beaches or oceans. It was like the first time you get a lollipop or a Christmas present.

"Have you given a thought as to what you would want to do?"

"I heard of some cliffs?"

"Yeah, those would be the Galartha cliffs. They make a distinctive sound as you climb them but that's not what I meant."

"What did you mean then?"

"I meant in general." Ella said. "That is one of the reasons we left the Enterprise. You said you needed a clearer head."

"No, I said I needed to clear my head."

"Oh, and did you?"

"Ella, we have been here all in all less than a day. I need more time to decide what I am going to do in the foreseeable future. Can we enjoy our time without any talks about the immediate future other than what we are going to do while here?"

"Sure,"

* * *

They remained on Risa for two months. Carrie used the time to really think what she wanted to do with her life. She had many choices but one thing was for sure she did not want to be a scientist that was too complicated. She was also not sure she wanted to be on a starship all the time. That was depressing too not to mention venting her darkness on it was a bad idea.

Still she wanted to leave the ship on her terms. She wanted to be friends with these people. One never knows when such thing would be come in hand. Having friends on the flagship of the Federation was nothing short of beneficial.

So she made her decision to return to the ship. Ella came with her of course. Things however were not as easy as they had thought. The time of their return was marked with the appearance of the nastiest piece of aliens the Federation had ever met – the Borg. Captain Picard had been abducted and used to attack the Federation. Many lives and ships were lost during the battle of Worf-359.

Carrie and Ella were rerouted to Vulcan where they were to spend their time in the Earth embassy. There they had decided to help out with the fallout of this event. It was for both of them educational but mostly for Carrie who quickly discovered that even in the future conflict could not be avoided at one hundred percent.

The people of Earth had outgrown conflict between themselves but that did not apply for the rest of the galaxy. She had to learn many sad truths. This prompted her to change her original plans. There was much injustice in the galaxy. Of course, the leaders of Earth on Vulcan had to teach her an invaluable lesson reminding her that human justice and that of the galaxy and its different species were two different things.

Still Carrie now had a terrible idea in mind. Despite what she had been told she did not believe that those that did break the law should walk away free regardless of their justice system or view of it. Of course she needed to find the perfect disguise and in a time where technology was more than superior that would not be easy. But nothing was impossible.

This required of her to attend Starfleet Academy after all. She needed to understand how technology worked in order to avoid and use it. She also needed a job. But she definitely did not want it to be connected to Starfleet or any scientific project. So she needed something that could allow her access anywhere without being a scientist of some form.

The only thing that came to her mind was being a reporter. As annoying as she had always found these people they were allowed everywhere. She also needed diplomatic credentials so she can move freely on the Federation planets and those of its allies and even enemies.

* * *

**Stardate 44091.5 (01.02.2367)**

Carrie had returned to the ship. She had used the time to learn as much as she needed in order to qualify for the entry test to Starfleet academy. She had formed relationships with Geordie, Data, Riker, Deana and Beverly Crusher.

Getting to know them had taken a long time. First she used their files to learn all that she could and then some calls to their friends from their time in the academy to get to know them a bit more intimately and then using the newly acquired information she found it easier to form a bond with them.

Everyone welcomed her at first a bit hesitantly but then the warmth of a friendship bond expanded and she became part of their circle. She even joined their weekly game of poker and being a quick learner succeeded in intimidating even Commander Riker. Of course he still won many battles of bluffs. For him apparently, it was an art form.

Carrie of course enjoyed these hours of entertainment where she did not have to learn complex data that most of the time she found completely useless. Why would anyone want to learn an entire encyclopedia of data that he or she would never have to use? She understood the need to be cross skilled but this was pushing it.

Her need was not to become intimately acquainted with the person that invented the info about every aspect of a technology from the tiniest particle of a material he used to its biggest component and how it interacted with various aspects of science in general. She needed only to understand the base principle of things and how to avoid detection from the nowadays technology. And this endeavor took its sweet time too.

Carrie however remained determined to absorb all that she needed for the entry test in Starfleet Academy. Her best allies in this were Commanders LaForge and Data, the former dumbed enough Data's interpretation of the subjects when he used more complicated words that made no sense to Carrie.

She spent day and night learning the complex subjects and learning about things she would have never thought existed. Ella would come every now and then for moral support or to take her away from it so she can relax a bit.

* * *

"Carrie?"

This was one of these days! Carrie took her eyes off the pad and turned to the door. "Enter!"

Ella waltzed in. She looked excited for something though Carrie could not tell what. And even she wanted she still wouldn't have found out as Ella had learnt how to block the casual thought intrusion.

"You need to come with me!"

"Why?"

"You've been cooped up here for too long. The last time we went out to do something was…I really can't remember when."

Carrie rolled her eyes. "Ella, we went out yesterday!"

"And it was fun…"

"Yes, so I haven't been here for long. I have a lot of things to memorize and learn. I can't do that with constant interruptions."

"Nonsense. The only way to learn is out there in the world not in your quarters." Ella replied completely dismissing her point of view. "The lower decks are throwing a party and you and I are going."

"What's the occasion this time?"

"The one, and only mysterious guy, is leaving the ship."

"He's transferring?"

"Yes, back to Earth, Starfleet Academy security,"

"Wow!"

"I thought you might want to chat with him as you would be going there soon. Perhaps he can find you a nice cool place to stay. Academy living arrangements aren't perfect. You are always with someone else."

"I think I can manage the arrangements on my own."

"Maybe, but having a friend from the ship is a big help!"

"Alright, I will come. Just give me five minutes to change."

"Sure!"

Carrie shook head. These days anything could excite Ella. It was like she entered puberty every day.

* * *

Five minutes later, they headed to the lower decks, taking the turbolift all the way down to deck 42. Carrie had gone down only two times so far but it was study related. She had come to notice that down there everything was different. It was like entering a different world.

Of course deck 42 housed the Anti-matter injections reactors and the fill and dump ports, and it was still unclear to Carrie why they were going there. She was not sure how good of an idea was to throw party at such dangerous area and why on Earth would Captain Picard even allow it, unless of course no one asked him for one (something she doubted).

"You do realize that being down there is not the ideal place to throw a party?" Carrie voiced her concerns.

"What?" Ella snapped out. "Yeah, I know but the invitation said 'go to deck 42 to gather and then...' something else, which I do not quite remember."

"Great," Carrie rolled eyes. In her excitement she had either not read the rest or completely forgot about it. She only hoped they would not get into any sort of trouble for this.

The turbolift opened and the two got out. It was dark and damp. Turning a corner, they noticed others cuddled in a corner.

"Ella, Carrie, hey guys,"

Carrie recognized the voice of Commander Riker and relaxed a bit. If he's here then it was ok for them to be here. It was still a weird place to be.

"Commander,"

"Will," Ella said earning a look of stupor from Carrie who never got used to calling him that.

"So where is the host of this shadowy endeavor?" Carrie asked looking around.

"He wants everyone to gather first and then make an entrance." Commander LaForge explained.

Carrie was stunned to see the entire command staff present. She even saw the bald head of the captain in the mix of people.

"He's that popular?"

"Yes," Beverly Crusher answered. "He may appear as nonsocial or mysterious but he's a party animal."

"I still think his immediate superior is by far more mysterious than him." Deanna interjected.

"Deville, are you kidding me?" Beverly exclaimed. "In all his time onboard, he's been only once to Med Bay, and very rarely in Ten Forward."

"And that is what makes him more mysterious."

"Hardly, it makes him normal, abnormally so."

"There is nothing wrong with being normal."

"On this ship, it makes you invisible and completely unnoticeable."

"We are not all dance gods, Bev,"

"Don't you start with that?!"

Carrie wished she knew what the two meant with this exchange but she was not privy to that story or any of them. It had been hard enough to find some common ground with these people and become more than a mere acquaintance. She was glad they had come to accept her as more than that but lately she did not have the time to spend more time with them to learn these, apparently, juicy stories.

Ironically she had come to learn not to spy on people by reading their thoughts. At one time she had opened her inner ears and quickly realized her mistake. The influx of voices became quickly unbearable.

* * *

The mysterious one soon made an entrance and everyone watched entranced. Carrie had to admit he had the charisma and the drama school education. He passed by everyone and chatted a bit, and then invited everyone to Ten Forward as it was better suited for the rest of the party.

Carrie unexpectedly had a lot of fun. It managed to relax her. The mysterious one danced with pretty much everyone, something Carrie found weird but apparently he was omnisexual and besides the 24th century did not find this type of behavior weird at all but rather normal.

"Ms. White, may I have this dance?" He came to her offering very gallantly a hand.

She could hardly refuse. She was a bit surprised he knew her name. Ella gave her an encouraging nod and she placed her hand into his.

He led her to the dance floor and guided her gracefully through the dance, which was a slow jazzy piece supported by the intrepid Commander Riker and his mastery of the trumpet.

"I understand you want to join Starfleet Academy."

"How many people know that?"

"Everyone, there are no secrets on a starship."

"Or I have a very mouthy friend."

"Oh, your friend is indeed very chatty but it is not on her."

"I'm sorry I did not get your name?"

"Ensign Carrington, Joseph."

"What is it with people speaking their names backwards?"

Joseph Carrington smiled. "I suppose it is just an old habit."

"And how is it that an ensign is just as popular as the commander or the captain of the ship?"

"Well, they said you are direct." Joseph noted though in a good way.

"I meant no offense."

"Offense?" Joseph chuckled. "I am not offended in any way, Ms. White. I just find it refreshing that you are this direct. As for my popularity, it is highly exaggerated."

"And yet here we are?"

"True, I do get around but I wouldn't consider myself more popular than the captain or the first officer."

"And yet the entire command staff is here?"

"True, but the command staff is often obligated by duty to be everywhere. It doesn't make them friends with everyone."

"And the rest of this packed house?"

"As I said, I do get around."

"Yes, I can see that." Carrie said. "Around in the 24th century must mean everywhere as I can see people from every single deck."

"You are flattering." Joseph said. He was truly enjoying this different perspective. There were people from every deck because his duties made him circle the entire the ship so he was bound to make friends anywhere.

"And yes I am going to Starfleet Academy," Carrie said a moment later remembering how this conversation started.

"Planning a new career no doubt?"

"Yes, maybe, I haven't decided yet."

"Perhaps I can show you around, after you arrive."

"I can understand now why Ella insisted I come to this party." Carrie said as Joseph decided not to comment. "I accept your proposal. By the time I arrive, you will undoubtedly know every corner or secret that place has."

"That is a distinct possibility."

* * *

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